Filed under: Ireland, People, Places, Volvo Ocean Race, tourism | Tags: Galway, galway tourism, Ireland, Irish Tourism, Oceans, Sailing, summer festivals, tourism galway, travel, visit galway, visitors to ireland, Volvo Ocean Race, Waves, west of ireland
Work is expected to begin within the next week on demolishing giant oil storage tanks at Galway docks which are regarded by visitors and locals alike as an eyesore in the city centre. The demolition has been accelerated to ensure that Galway puts its best foot forward for the Volvo Ocean Race stopover in the city next month. Up to 150,000 visitors are expected to head to the western capital for the event, which takes place between May 23 and June 6 and which will have a television audience of 1.8 billion. The removal of the 11 tanks will facilitate a massive Volvo Ocean Race tented village which will be constructed along the dockside, allowing maximum viewing access for the expected massive crowds. The stopover is expected to generate a spend in the region of €40m across the wider Galway area, with the Government, under the aegis of Failte Ireland, stumping up €8m to promote the event.
Filed under: Ireland, Places, Volvo Ocean Race, tourism | Tags: failte ireland, Galway, galway ireland, Irish Tourism, visit galway, visitors to ireland, Volvo Ocean Race
Green Dragon Volvo Ocean Race
Green Dragon Volvo Ocean Race team hopes to leave a greater awareness of Ireland among the Chinese in its wake. China is set to become the world’s most important tourist industry in the next few years and this is one of the reasons why the Irish have put so much effort into publicity here in Qingdao.
With China set to become the largest outbound travel market, this kind of event gives you great exposure. On the night the Green Dragon arrived, it was the Green Dragon that everyone here was interested in.
Bono visited the boat with his brother Norman Hewson in Alicante, but U2 lookalikes with huge papier mache heads greeted the crowds at the hall in Qingdao, which was full of Chinese people eating Irish food supplied by Good Food Ireland, and entertainment by Arcana from Galway.
“Our concept is all about giving a real flavour of Ireland so that’s why we had the food and the personalities behind the food,” said Gorman.
Ireland’s profile in China received a significant boost during the Chinese New Year TV show on CCTV, which is the most watched TV show in the world with hundreds of millions of viewers.
The “CCTV Spring Festival Gala” featured Riverdance, the first time a foreign group had featured so prominently on the show, and the whole country is talking about how the Irish troupe high-stepped its way into the Year of the Ox. In fact, Riverdance has replaced Roy Keane as the thing about Ireland most people in China know about, distracting attention away from the tainted pork scandal of recent months.
“I don’t know much about Ireland. Irish dancing is very famous, but after this event I know a bit more. If I had an opportunity I’d love to visit,” said Zhang Huizhen, from Qingdao.
Snow Qu, who works for the electronics group Philips in Qingdao, said she was a big fan of Guo. And is also a big fan of the brown bread and jam on offer.
“The food is great. If we could go to Ireland, we’d go,” she said.
The Green Dragon, which is fourth in the race rankings, and the other boats are expected to arrive in Brazil on March 20th. Fáilte Ireland received €8 million from the Government to build a marina in Galway to receive the Volvo Ocean Race teams when they arrive, and also to sponsor the Green Dragon itself.
Filed under: Ireland, People, Surfing Ireland, Volvo Ocean Race, tourism | Tags: Galway Bay, galway ireland, galway tourism, Ireland, Sailing, summer festivals, tourism galway, visitors to ireland, Volvo Ocean Race, west of ireland
TOURISM bosses have issued a stark warning to Galway hotels, bars and other businesses in the hospitality sector not to jeopardise the city’s reputation abroad by overcharging and ‘cashing-in’ during the Volvo Ocean Race this Summer. Up to 140,000 visitors are expected to visit Galway for the two week festival in May and June which represents a unique opportunity to showcase Galway and get repeat tourism business.
Fáilte Ireland have warned businesses that if they overcharge and fail to offer a warm welcome, the city’s reputation will be sullied which could cause damage to the long-term future of the tourism sector in Galway and the West.
Already 30 hotels have signed up to the ‘Galway accommodation charter’ where they have agreed to offer fair pricing during the stopover, and others have been urged to follow their lead as there are fears that negative publicity internationally about poor service and overcharging could damage Galway city’s bid to hold the stopover again in four years time.
Filed under: People, Places, Volvo Ocean Race, tourism | Tags: galway ireland, summer festivals, tourism, visit galway, visitors to ireland, Volvo Ocean Race, west of ireland
Tourism chiefs in Galway remain bullish about the prospects of the industry locally this year in spite of the global economic recession which saw a significant drop in overseas visitor numbers for the first time in seven years. Visitor figures for last year show a worrying decline in two of Galway’s three biggest overseas visitor markets, American and UK, but Irish Tourism groups remain confident Galway city and county can buck the trend this year and outperform all other regions in Ireland outside of Dublin. The tourism organisation said a combination of the Volvo Ocean Race in early summer and upcoming aggressive marketing campaigns in mainland Europe, UK, US and in Ireland will help to ensure Galway and the West ‘holds its own’ in 2009. New statistics released yesterday reveal tourists from America and UK dropped by 9% and 5% respectively in 2008 compared to the preceding year. The American tourists who came here in 2008 spent 18% less than the previous year while British tourists spent 2% less resulting in an overall decline in national tourism revenues of around 2% to €6.3 billion.
According to the Irish Times, 5 months before the Volvo Round the World Race sails into Galway, the event’s hosts are confident that a breakthrough is “imminent” in preparations for Ireland’s first stopover of the race to date.
Difficulties between Topaz and Chevron Ireland over relocating to a new oil terminal have stalled work on laying foundations for the Volvo Ocean Race village in Galway docks.
The Government has committed €8 million to Ireland’s participation in the prestigious international event, including funding of the Galway race stage from May 23rd to June 6th.
It represents the largest State investment of its type to date in a sporting event and is expected to attract 140,000 spectators with a prospective spend in the region of €42 million.
The site for the race village in Galway docks is an existing terminal owned by Topaz, the Irish-owned company which was established following the takeover of Shell and Statoil retail fuel businesses in 2005 and 2006.
The six-tank terminal was to have been dismantled before Christmas and relocated to a new purpose-built terminal which meets new international health and safety requirements.
The new Enwest terminal, built at a cost of €38 million, is seeking to lease storage to the fuel suppliers currently spread between two tank farms in the docks area.
It is understood that the two leading players, Topaz and Chevron (formerly Texaco), have some difficulties over the leasing arrangements. Topaz Ireland would make no official comment on the impasse when contacted by The Irish Times. Chevron (Ireland) could not be contacted yesterday.
Ironically, one of Topaz’s shareholders is businessman Denis O’Brien who is also part of a syndicate which contributed towards one of two Irish boats in the Volvo race – Green Dragon – currently lying fifth overall.
Galway Chamber of Commerce chief executive Michael Coyle said there was concern over the delay.
“The dock tanks removal is a signal that something is going to happen in Galway,” he said. “I have the greatest admiration for businessman John Killeen who secured this event for the west and wants to create some lasting benefits for Galway.
“A combination of regulatory problems and growing issues on the financial side may jeopardise this and there is a need for some flexibility. As a chamber, we know that the Volvo race will make or break Galway’s 2009 tourist season.“
A major marketing programme highlighting the Galway stage will be initiated in March. It will include a price charter for hotels to emphasise the fact that the event will be free with a strong community focus. The Galway Volvo organisers have acknowledged that there is a “plan B” and a “plan C”, including an alternative race village location, if the tanks are not removed in time.
However, they stress that commissioning of the new Enwest terminal storage tanks has already begun.
An Taisce’s Galway branch is not happy with some aspects of the Volvo participation. It is opposed to a permanent marina being left inside and outside the docks area after the race departs.
Green Dragon and the fleet are now in Singapore, preparing for the next leg to Qingdao in China. Delta Lloyd, entered by Limerick sailor Ger O’Rourke, is lying eighth, but the seventh placing, Team Russia, has had to suspend participation due to funding difficulties. Let’s Do It Galway, backing Green Dragon, said boat sponsorship was “on target”, but “tight”.
Filed under: GPS, Ireland, People, Places, Volvo Ocean Race, tourism | Tags: galway tourism, Volvo Ocean Race, volvo race galway
The Volvo Ocean Race will visit Galway in the summer of 2009. On the 23rd of May 2009 the Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) will arrive in Galway following the transatlantic leg, racing from Boston, and it will stay in Galway for a two week stopover before leaving on the next leg to Göteborg in Sweden.
The Volvo Ocean race, also known as the Round the World Race, is run every four years and will cover 39,000 miles. It begin in Alicante, Spain and will visit around eleven ports including the Middle East, Southeast Asia, China, India and Boston. In-port racing will take place in all ports as well as the race around the world. The Galway leg of this race begins in June 2009.
The Volvo Ocean Race is expected to be Ireland’s biggest ever sporting/festival so far, with Galway city expected to welcome over 300,000 people and generate approx €100 million in revenue over the course of the two weeks.
Visitors to Galway will get a chance to experience the spectacle of the VO70 sailing boats including in-port racing and enjoy everything special that the West of Ireland has to offer.
