New Limerick Marketing Company tasked with increasing tourists to county

Limerick could be welcoming more than a quarter of a million business and leisure tourists by 2018 if a new marketing company meets its targets.

This week, the Limerick Marketing Company was formally put in place before more than 50 local business and tourism representatives at the Clarion Hotel.

The company, which will be wholly owned by the new local authority, has been charged with promoting the county.

Some €350,000 has been set aside for the project, one of the key planks of Limerick’s Economic Plan, which will see the centre transformed.

Based in a prominent city centre location – yet to be confirmed – the company will be led by former Shannon Development executive Eoghan Prendergast.

Limerick welcomed 383,000 overseas leisure and business visitors in 2011, generating estimated revenue of €143m.T2 Trainspotting 2017 movie

But by 2018, it is hoped that this will double to around 766,000 people, and a total boost to the local economy of €286m a year.

“I think this is an ambitious target, but I wouldn’t put it in there if it was not doable. We need to give it time: I know it sounds like a paradox, but if you do things with time in mind, they can happen faster,” he explained.

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