Dublin has launched a three plan to increase regional tourism, which details the target of increasing visitors from abroad by one million per year. The 'Making it happen' plan from Dublin Tourism also aims to increase visitor revenue growth of 8% per year, taking total revenue to an impressive €1.8 billion by 2010. Reports suggest that Dublin received 4.6 million foreign visitors in 2007, a 40% increase over the last 5 years, whilst tourism revenues grew by 34% to €1.5 billion.
Dublin city breaks are a major lure for tourists, with the city currently accounting for almost two thirds of visitors to Ireland and often featured as one of the top 10 city break destinations in Europe. The latest plan aims to position Dublin as the perfect short break destination with proposals for a 'customer charter', increased multi-lingual tourist information and an annual industry forum.
Despite the positive outlook, there are several challenges that the organisation behind the ‘Making it happen’ initiative must overcome, including a potential slump in the economy, global warming issues and the challenge of marketing Dublin as a unique destination.
