All Travel News

Cork Airport has marked a double celebration, this week, with the 20th birthday of its terminal building AND the 2 millionth passenger of 2026. “Twenty years young and two million strong” was the cause for celebration as staff from across the airport campus gathered to mark the double milestone. Shortly after 07.30 on August 1, 2006, the first passengers to use Cork Airport’s new terminal building arrived on a Ryanair flight from London Stansted. Twenty years later, over 47 m

Hilton is expanding its presence in Ireland with a range of signings, openings and brand debuts, marking a significant step in its growth and building on its existing portfolio of eight hotels across six brands. The upcoming openings will create more than 150 jobs and will bring the number of team members working at Hilton hotels in Ireland to nearly 1,000. The growth is boosted by an agreement to bring DoubleTree by Hilton to Ireland with the conversion of a 156-room hotel i

August sees the return of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic to the Aviva Stadium for the first U.S. college football game of the 2026 season, known as ‘Week Zero’. The highly anticipated match between Texas Christian University’s (TCU) Horned Frogs and University of North Carolina’s (UNC) Tar Heels will take place on Saturday, 29th August at 5pm Irish Time.

Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, the world’s largest celebration of traditional Irish music and culture, is taking place in Belfast for the first time ever this month.

New inbound tourism figures point to a “softening” of the market, tourism chiefs have warned. Latest monthly figures, from the CSO, show 670,300 tourists visited Ireland in June – 2% up year-on-year. They also spent more – with tourism revenue jumping 8%, year-on-year, to €697m; but stayed for less time. The Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC), however, said the June figures suggest "a softening market". "Visitor numbers were up 2% for the key month of June although t

Aer Lingus has posted an operating loss of €34m for the first half of 2026, compared to an operating profit of €80m for the same period last year. The operating profit for the second quarter of 2026 was €69m, compared to an operating profit of €135m in the second quarter of 2025. This followed an operating loss of €103m in the first three months of this year. Aer Lingus’ costs increased by 8% in the first half and passenger revenue decreased by 3%. While passenger numbers inc

Tourism Ireland has revealed the findings of its latest sentiment survey of potential overseas visitors. The research was commissioned to understand the current views of consumers in Ireland's top tourism markets regarding international travel and what would motivate them to choose the island of Ireland for a holiday. The findings were shared at a virtual event attended by hundreds of tourism and travel operators from the island of Ireland and overseas. Tourism Ireland partne

The Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) has welcomed the publication of Fáilte Ireland’s three-year corporate strategy (2026-2029) aimed at delivering 7% annual domestic tourism revenue growth in line with the Government’s national policy targets. The new strategy sets out a clear framework with achievable targets to drive sustainable domestic tourism growth, strengthen competitiveness and increase employment while delivering greater regional and seasonal balance. It is a clear rec

Fáilte Ireland has published its Corporate Strategy 2026–2029, setting out a clear programme to support strong tourism performance for Ireland through sustainable growth, greater regional and seasonal balance, and a more competitive and resilient tourism sector. Delivering the ambition set out in A New Era for Irish Tourism, the Government's national tourism policy, the strategy outlines how Fáilte Ireland will work with industry, government and communities to unlock the full

The Doyle Collection has appointed Katie Farrell as Chief Commercial Officer, marking a new chapter for the Irish luxury hotel group as it continues to strengthen its global commercial and marketing strategy. The Doyle Collection owns hotels in Ireland, the UK and the US. In Ireland, it owns Dublin hotels The Croke Park and the iconic Westbury Hotel. In Cork, it owns the River Lee Hotel and in Washington DC it owns The Dupont Circle Hotel. In London, the group owns The Maryle

The Metropole Hotel, one of Cork's most iconic landmarks, invites guests to rediscover the timeless tradition of afternoon tea with the launch of a new menu inspired by the flavours, producers and the summer season in Cork. The carefully curated afternoon tea is served daily from 1.00pm to 4.00pm in the hotel's newly restored lobby on MacCurtain Street. Created by Executive Head Chef Eoghan O'Flynn and his team, the menu celebrates the finest ingredients from across the regio

More than 527,000 passengers are expected to arrive and depart through Dublin Airport over the four-day August Bank Holiday weekend, making it one of the busiest weekends of the summer. Passenger numbers are expected to exceed 134,000 on Friday, with 129,000 travelling on Saturday. Sunday will be the busiest day of the weekend, with 136,000 passengers forecast to pass through the airport, before a further 128,000 passengers travel on Bank Holiday Monday. The August Bank Holid

Fáilte Ireland and Kerry County Council have officially marked the opening of the enhanced Wild Atlantic Way Discovery Point at Bray Head, Valentia Island, Co. Kerry, following an investment of €2.1 million by Fáilte Ireland. Delivered in partnership with Kerry County Council, the project has transformed the visitor experience at one of the Wild Atlantic Way’s key coastal locations. The project included the restoration and conservation of the historic Bray Head Signal Tower a

The Government has officially turned the sod on a transformative tourism redevelopment project at Westport Estate in Co. Mayo. ​ Fáilte Ireland funding of up to €36m forms part of an overall €65.5m investment, with the remaining match funding to be provided by the Hughes Family, the owners of Portwest. This represents one of the largest single investments in the tourism sector, delivering a world class visitor attraction that will drive significant tourism impact across the n

Shannon Airport is preparing for a busy August Bank Holiday, with more than 65,000 passengers expected to travel through the airport over the period. This represents an increase of 7% on the passenger numbers for the same period last year. The strong Bank Holiday forecast reflects Shannon Airport's continued growth in 2026. The airport welcomed 1.17 million passengers during the first six months of the year, a 12% increase on the same period in 2025. Growth has been supported

Tides of Time, a newly restored visitor centre in Carrick-on-Suir, Co. Tipperary, has been officially opened. The project was awarded over €352,000 in funding through Fáilte Ireland's Regenerative Tourism and Placemaking Scheme, which is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union under the EU Just Transition Fund. Carrick-on-Suir Development Association invested a further €88,000 in the development bringing the total investment to over €440,000. The new vis

A 12-person media and travel trade delegation from China visited Ireland this week, as guests of China Eastern Airlines, Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland. The group arrived on the inaugural flight of the new Shanghai to Dublin service, operated by China Eastern Airlines. The group arrived on the inaugural flight of the new Shanghai to Dublin service, operated by China Eastern Airlines. The travel trade’s itinerary included Causey Farm, Birr Castle Demesne, the Burren and Cl

Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke officially launched the Ireland Home of Halloween 2026 programme at the Hill of Uisneach, Co. Westmeath, last week. Now in its second year, Ireland Home of Halloween is a collaborative all-island programme led by Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland that celebrates the island's role as the birthplace of Halloween through festivals and visitor experiences inspired by Samhain traditions. The Ire

Leading Irish rental provider, Europcar, has launched a new fast-track care rental service at Dublin Airport. Available as an optional upgrade, the new Europcar Express service enables priority in-terminal pick-up allowing customers to simply collect their keys and get on the road without delay. Europcar Express capitalises on the latest digital innovation to carry out the essential identity and driving license checks online when a vehicle booking is made ahead of travel. Com

The board of Irish Ferries owner, shipping conglomerate Irish Continental Group (ICG) has tentatively accepted and recommended to shareholders a €1.2bn management-led buyout proposal which would see the business leave the stock market and enter private ownership. The management buyout team consists of long time ICG chief executive, Eamonn Rothwell; along with leading shareholders David Ledwidge, Andrew Sheen and Declan Freeman. ICG owns a number of shipping terminal and freig