Tom Moffatt
Ceist:16 Dr. Moffatt asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade the expected benefits to Irish tourism from the recently announced Virgin Atlantic/ British Midlands link-up. [18739/96]
Written Answers. - Airlines Link-up.
While tourism numbers and revenue from the US have grown significantly since 1993, studies carried out for and by Bord Fáilte have shown that there may still be potential for further growth especially from western and southern states. Under the new initiative launched by Virgin Atlantic, passengers travelling to London with them from gateways in several key states will now be able to travel on to Ireland free of charge with British Midland. This initiative extends the range of gateways and services available at very competitive fare levels from the US market and creates marketing opportunities in potentially important new areas of that market. The initiative will operate from November 1996 to March 1997, and Virgin's own projections are for approximately 1,500 extra passengers who will arrive during the off-peak season.