Major tourism potential from continental ferries in post-Covid scenario

IT’S probably understandable that freight traffic and the movement of trucks to and from continental Europe has dominated discussion on the growth of Europe, however, Senator Malcolm Byrne is calling on some consideration to be given to growing tourism between France and Ireland post-Covid.

With case numbers still very high and foreign travel very much discouraged for now, there has been little discussion on the tourism potential of Rosslare, however, Senator Byrne raised the potential of new continental routes to benefit the tourism industry with Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland when they appeared before the Oireachtas Tourism Committee.

‘While at this time much of the focus has been on freight, once we get through this pandemic, Wexford could be an ideal destination for French and other European visitors and we need to start marketing the opportunities,’ he said. ‘I’ve had discussions with the new French Ambassador, M. Vincent Guerand about how we can enhance Irish and French tourism and cultural links. I believe that we need to look at marketing Wexford to the North of France and that includes making more of our tourism material available in French.’

‘There will be capacity on these ferries for tourists as things improve,’ Senator Byrne concluded. ‘We have to be ready to take advantage. Diarmuid MacMurrough brought the Normans to Ireland in 1159 and we should be actively encouraging them to come (in a friendlier fashion!) again now. France is now our nearest European Union neighbour and we need to build on existing connections.’

General Manager of Rosslare Europort Glenn Carr was also feeling optimistic about the tourism potential of Rosslare post-Covid.

‘It’s going to be very exciting for passengers going forward,’ he said. ‘We will need to see how we get tourism back after Covid, but there’s a big opportunity there. Vessels like the Stena Embla or the DFDS Visby offer a real five star services to tourists. The on board experience is amazing and it really raises the bar. I think post-Covid people will perhaps look to try ferries more. There’s more space on board and I suppose it may feel safer than taking a plane where you’d be in close quarters with other people. I think having the frequency and variety into Rosslare will prove popular with tourists from the likes of France and Germany that may previously have gone to the UK. I look forward to working with Tourism Ireland and Visit Wexford on this going forward.’