The later phases were conducted by Red C Research following what Tourism Ireland described as an EU-wide procurement process using special Covid-related “grounds for urgency” rules to speed up the process. The latest stage of the research – conducted in November – saw the “lowest levels of comfort” about taking a European trip. The Tourism Ireland brief said: “The island of Ireland is considered one of the most comfortable destinations for a short break or holiday during social distancing. And those surveyed said word-of-mouth, official government sources, price comparison websites and travel agent websites would be the most influential sources for destination. Tourism Ireland said that while confidence around travel was low in November, they expect an “improvement” in the next wave of research.

Source: Irish Independent December 29, 2020 02:36 UTC