Tourism Ireland
US billionaire gives Irish tourism a boost
An Irish-American philanthropist is pitching in to save the flagging Irish tourism industry.
Chuck Feeney has offered to support a scheme giving $100 vouchers to American tourists who visit Ireland, the London Times reported today.
Tourism minister Martin Cullen said the 78-year-old Feeney got in touch after the Farmleigh conference, where business luminaries from Ireland and the diaspora joined politicians to discuss the economy.
Feeney said he wanted to help Ireland’s tourism industry directly, Minister Cullen told the Times.
Feeney grew up in Elizabeth, New Jersey, the son of an insurance underwriter and a nurse. In his youth he travelled to Japan and Korea as a GI and he later studied at Cornell University in Ithaca. He made his money through duty free products and has often donated funds to philanthropic schemes in the U.S., Ireland and elsewhere.
In 1982 he set up Atlantic Philanthropies, a foundation that gives money to initiatives in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, as well as South Africa, the United States, Bermuda and other countries.
Feeney, who has both Irish and American citizenship, lives an abstemious lifestyle himself, according to an article on the Atlantic Philanthropies website. He wears $9 reading glasses and a $15 watch.
The billionaire only gives money to causes of his choosing – his foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for cash. In the past he has made contributions to the Northern Irish peace process and he paid for Sinn Fein’s Washington office for three years. He has also given billions to Irish higher education.
Ireland’s tourism industry slumped by 12 percent in 2009, and Feeney hopes the vouchers, which will go towards discount flights and accommodation, will help Ireland’s visitor numbers climb by about 50,000 next year.
Comments
It's a shame no one is willing to do this kind of thing to promote foreign tourism to the USA.
My husband, my sister, and myself are traveling to Ireland this spring. All of us have Irish Heritage and will be leaving for Ireland in 3 weeks. We were wondering how we go about to obtain the $100 travel voucher being given by Chuck Feeney. This would help us with the weak dollar value.
Thank you
How do I get some discount vouchers? coupons.
I am Irish American and going to visit Ireland for the first time with my sister, daughter and her boyfriend. ( My irish heritage is via Catherine Helene Murphy who was born in 1871 and moved to the USA ( boston/Rhode Island) Her parents were Mary Elizabeth Fagan and John O. Murphy. I have had trouble getting details. I would love to visit their burial sites.)
Things are terribly expensive for us now with the weak dollar exchange. I am really excited to visit Ireland finally.
This is a good article but does not say how to get vouchers? I double clicked on the 100$ voucher but was not able to access any details.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
Diane.
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