Noel Ahern
Ceist:26 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade the increase in tourist numbers as a result of his coast-to-coast promotion of Ireland on Australia's Channel 9. [16877/95]
Written Answers. - Tourism Promotion.
The "Today Show" was broadcast live from Ireland on Channel 9 throughout Australia for one week last May.
Because Australian travel to Ireland involves long lead time and detailed planning prior to booking, results will begin to be reflected primarily in the 1996 visitor statistics when they become available.
Board Fáilte advise that there are, however, some encouraging indications that the broadcast successfully raised the profile of Ireland as a holiday destination. There was a significant increase in the programmes' normal audience, peaking with 850,000 people viewing the programme at one stage. Five television stations compete for audiences and over the week the number of all homes tuned to the Ireland Today Show was: Sydney, 54 per cent; Melbourne, 52 per cent; Brisbane; 59 per cent; Adelaide, 64 per cent; Perth, 58 per cent.
In addition, the sponsor airline Cathay Pacific reported a 60 per cent increase in Ireland product sales for the month of June. Harvey World Travel, the retail chain sponsoring the programme, received 70,000 entries for its Ireland viewer competition run during the broadcast. Also the Bord Fáilte office in Sydney received several thousand inquiries for information about specific aspects of stories covered in the telecast.