Cork business tourism chiefs are targeting agriculture, food, space, neonatal, and maritime-themed conferences as they look to grow the industry by 8% to €14m this year. Ahead of its annual Keep Cork Meeting event on April 11, business tourism body Cork Convention Bureau (CCB) said it wants local hotels and other tourism service providers to showcase to the corporate market. CCB manager Evelyn O’Sullivan said: “The business tourist contributes three times more to the local economy than the leisure tourist and many business tourists are now beginning to extend their stay by two to four days, which offers a huge opportunity for growth.”The body said it aims to grow conference and business tourism by 8% annually to €14m, with each business delegate valued at €1,600. “The biggest growth opportunities are in areas like agri and food, space, neonatal, and maritime, and we are here to support anyone wishing to bring a conference to the Cork region,” said Ms O’Sullivan. A recent survey by the Cork branch of the Irish Hotels Federation found that over €11.5m was spent on renovations to Cork hotels in 2018.

Source: Irish Examiner April 03, 2019 17:37 UTC