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Minister of State Brian Hayes, Tourism Minister Leo Varadkar and Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland announcing the start of €0 Travel Tax tomorrow

Tourism Minister Leo Varadkar has marked the reduction of the air travel tax to zero and welcomed the response of the airlines to the Government’s move in the last Budget.

“Following the general election this Government said it would cut the air travel tax to zero if the airlines were willing to increase capacity on our key access routes. The airlines have responded with more than 20 new flights into Ireland and increased capacity on existing routes. That is why we are fulfilling that commitment this week.

2013, the year of The Gathering, was the best year for inbound tourism since 2008. I intend 2014 to be even better thanks to the Wild Atlantic Way, better value for money and competitive and direct air access. My focus as Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport is to generate even more direct air and ferry services into Ireland in the years ahead.

Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, added:

The reduction of the air travel tax to zero is really good news for tourism to Ireland. As an island destination, direct and convenient access services, as well as competitive airfares, are vital to our future tourism success. And we know that value for money remains a major factor for people everywhere when choosing a holiday destination. In addition to new Aer Lingus services from San Francisco and Toronto, as well as extended services from Etihad and Emirates later this year, it is wonderful to see new Ryanair flights starting in April, from important tourism markets like France and Germany. Tourism Ireland is committed to working with airports, airlines, ferry operators and other tourism interests to drive demand for services from international markets to the island of Ireland and to help maintain our vital network of routes.

Read the full press release

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