A passenger cap imposed on an airport in Ireland has caused a major threat to the visitor economy, a tourism official warns.
A limitation of 32 million people was foisted upon Dublin Airport which has led to major concerns over the tourism growth in Ireland. The Failte Ireland chief has claimed the measure is one of the biggest risks to the industry.
Paul Kelly, the CEO of Failte Ireland, has said that smaller, regional airports cannot compensate for the loss in growth that Ireland will face if the passenger cap is not lifted.
His comments come after the limit of 32m is expected to be exceeded by 1m this year, despite efforts to dampen airline demand.
Mr Kelly adds that the lifting of the cap needs to be done with appropriate planning mechanisms while ensuring noise pollution is kept at a steady rate for local residents.
Speaking on Today with Colm O Mongain on RTE Radio, Mr Kelly said: « A lot of the flights will move to other airports outside of Ireland, so we do need to see the cap lifted in Dublin Airport. »
Due to the country being an island, the CEO says that flying is the only practical way to travel in and out for most people.
The strict cap of 32 million was put in place by Fingal County Council in 2007 as part of a condition in allowing the airport operators, the daa, to build a second terminal.
Mr Kelly says: « We work with our colleagues in Tourism Ireland on trying to make sure we get the maximum local benefit for any of the carbon that is emitted by people travelling to Ireland. We are working on this mechanism of looking at the maximum revenue per kilogram of carbon generated in terms of international aviation to get here.
« But we cannot omit everything about how we do business here in Ireland by cutting ourselves off from the rest of the world. »
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