H.E. Nicola Faganello, Ambassador of Italy to Ireland and Honorary Consul Maria Gabriella Caponi (centre) pictured with Shannon Chamber president, Mark Nolan; CEO, Helen Downes; The Shannon Airport Group deputy CEO and chief commercial officer Ray O’Driscoll and the delegation of Shannon Chamber members, at the briefing in Shannon Airport. Photo by Stephen O’Malley
CLARE’s tourism strengths and cultural offerings plus the desire to increase business links with Italy were among the items covered as the Italian Ambassador visited Shannon.
Ambassador of Italy to Ireland H.E. Nicola Faganello visited Shannon Airport in the past fortnight. accompanied by Honorary Consul Maria Gabriella Caponi, who represents the Italian Embassy in the Munster region.
Representatives from Shannon Chamber, the Shannon Airport Group, Jaguar Land Rover, Ei Electronics, BBNet, Fáilte Ireland, Trump International Hotel Doonbeg, Clare County Council, and Dromoland Castle Hotel attended the briefing.
The Ambassador expressed his enthusiasm for future collaboration, noting the significant opportunities created by the growing connectivity between Shannon and Italy, via Rome, Naples and Turin.
Interim CEO of the Shannon Airport Group, Ray O’Driscoll highlighted the airport’s strong performance in welcoming 2.3 million passengers this year, the highest figure in sixteen years, and operating 40 routes, the most in over two decades. He also showcased developments within the 600-acre Shannon Airport Business Park, where 1.2 million sq. ft. of commercial property has been built or refurbished in the past decade.
Growing tourism strengths in hospitality, leisure, and golf were highlighted with the Ambassador. With major international golf events scheduled over the next two years, boosted visibility is expected to drive significant growth in golf tourism. Collaborative golf packages are being developed to extend visitor stays and enhance the visitor experience.
Presentations also highlighted the county’s rich cultural offering, vibrant music scene, and community events. The slogan ‘Clare is Cool’ is the tourism message which is aimed particularly at central European visitors seeking a cooler climate during increasingly hot summers.
Of further note was Clare’s achievement in becoming the only county in Ireland to secure Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) certification, reflecting strong sustainability practices across local businesses.
Participants expressed a strong interest in building business links with Italian counterparts; an initiative Shannon Chamber intends to advance in partnership with the Italian-Irish Chamber of Commerce.
