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Kerry tourism showing signs of recovery

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Tourism Industry bosses in Killarney remain upbeat despite a recent Fáilte Ireland survey saying that tourist spending in Kerry for last year had dropped by 46% compared to 2019 figures.

Despite the large percentage drop – attributed to pandemic related closures - Kerry performed well in terms of the share of visitors to the county and tourism spend.

Tourism in the county generated €162 million in 2021 according to estimates on spend by Fáilte Ireland. This is compared to a spend of €299 million in 2019.

Domestic trips to Kerry in 2021 were over half those in 2019, despite the widespread enforced closure of tourism and hospitality businesses for a considerable portion of 2021. According to the Central Statistics Office Household Travel Survey, there were 602,000 domestic trips to Kerry in 2021, compared to 1,105,000 in 2019.

Kerry is in second place on the highest tourist spend list in a year that was largely impacted by COVID-19 restrictions, lockdowns and a lowered intent to travel due to health and safety regulations.

Visitors stayed an average of 3.8 nights in the county, an impressive result demonstrating the value of a sustained year-long campaign to communicate the variety of experiences made available to visitors by the Kerry Tourism Industry Federation (KTIF).

“Taking everything into account, the report shows a relatively positive outcome for Kerry in terms of maintaining our share of domestic tourists to the county and achieving tourism spends that outperform proportionately to the amount of time tourism businesses were operational during the year,” said Patrick O’Donoghue, chairperson of the marketing committee of KTIF.

The sector is showing promising signs of recovery thus far in 2022 with domestic tourism remaining strong combined with the welcome return of overseas visitors to the county.

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Motorists advised to be careful during bad weather

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Kerry County Council is appealing to people to stay away from exposed coasts while the weather warnings are in place this week.

Met Éireann has issued an Orange Warning for wind for Kerry which is effective from 7am to 3pm on Tuesday. There is also a Yellow warning for rainfall which is in place from 9pm tonight to 9am on Tuesday.

Storm Bram is expected to bring a very strong to gale force southerly winds with the strongest winds along the coast.

Motorists are advised to expect travel disruption on Tuesday with surface water likely on many routes.

Wave overtopping and high tides are expected to contribute to possible flooding in coastal areas.

The Local Coordination Group which includes Kerry County Council, the HSE, An Garda Síochána, emergency services and utilities, is meeting this afternoon to prepare for the impact of Storm Bram.

Kerry County Council announced today that Rossbeigh beach car park had been closed to the public until further notice. Members of the public are also advised not to park or walk near the coast during this period.

Kerry County Council’s weather emergency phoneline will be operational during the weather warning and issues can be reported to 066 7183588.

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Killarney Civic Arts Group to hold first AGM

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Killarney Civic Arts, a new group formed to advance cultural awareness and promote participation in the arts, is inviting the public to its inaugural Annual General Meeting (AGM) this month.

The group, made up of artists and arts workers, aims to share experiences and insights with the community regarding the future and direction of cultural development in Killarney and the wider Munster region.


Killarney Civic Arts invites anyone who cares about shaping creative places in the community to connect with them and share their thoughts and stories.


The first AGM will be held in the Deer-hunter lounge at the Dromhall Hotel, (V93PY80), on Saturday, December 13, at 10.00am. The event offers free entry and is hosted in an accessible room.


For further information, the public may contact Dolores Lyne at 087 263 8720.

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