After two years of virtual St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, it’s going to be a big event this year and many hotels in the city are charging high prices because of the limited number of rooms.
For two people staying at the Jurys Inn, Christchurch, Dublin, from March 17 to 19, the cost will be €1,080.
Similar dates would set tourists back €929 in the Hilton in Kilmainham and €826 in the Maldron Hotel Parnell.
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Other popular hotels, including the Hard Rock Hotel and The Alex, are no longer available for St Patrick’s Day.
Prices are similar in Galway city. For similar dates, customers will be charged €845 for The Galmont Hotel and €908 for Flannery’s Hotel.
Western Citypoint apartments are being quoted €2,800 for their three-bedroom apartment, now only one left.
Room rates in Cork and Belfast are almost half the price in Dublin and Galway, with Cork International Hotel charging €428 for the same day while The Dean is €467.
In Belfast, the Jurys Inn is currently €453 for March 17-19, while the Crowne Plaza is €381.
Fáilte Ireland said it expects the city of Dublin to be busy over the weekend of St Patrick’s Day and during the five days of the official St Patrick’s Day Festival.
“It’s great that St Patrick’s Festival returns to Dublin this year,” said Fáilte Ireland Head of Product Development, Orla Carroll.
“Festivals like the St Patrick’s Festival will be vital as we work towards welcoming international visitors and revitalizing tourism.”
It is hoped that in the hospitality and retail sectors that St Patrick’s Day will be the kick-off day for international visitors to revisit Ireland.
Fáilte Ireland chief executive Paul Kelly said he expected a strong rebound in domestic tourism, with forecasts showing Ireland will regain 83 percent of 2019’s air passenger capacity by the end of the year.
Retail Excellence Ireland chief executive Duncan Graham said the sector was confident it would be a good trading week and he hoped it was the first step for Ireland to regain its international tourist arrivals.
“We are quietly confident that this is going to be a good trading week, normally what happens is St Patrick’s Day can be different depending on where you are,” he said.
“In towns where the parades take place, it’s usually a fairly flat day as you may only trade in the morning and afternoon depending on the time of the parade.
“This is the first time we have had four days where people will be off work together for a long time, and I think a lot can also depend on the amount of tourists we come to the country during the period. there.
“So overall I think it could be a good week for us, I definitely think tourism-based businesses will see some improvement that we haven’t seen in the last couple of years.”
Mr. Graham said he expects supermarkets and grocers to stay busy over the weekend, with many retailers choosing to open a bank holiday on Friday, March 18.
“And then back to normal on Saturday,” he added.
“So I think in terms of trading hours, it’s going to vary from what we’re used to seeing.
Patrick’s Day tourism is the first start of the tourist season, so Carrolls Irish Gifts and such shops will be looking forward to a little bit of a return to normalcy.”
He said the number of people going to city centers had increased significantly since before Christmas, but remained below pre-pandemic levels.
He said: “The really interesting point is, is this the first sign that tourists are returning to the Irish economy as we have been so dependent on accommodation spending over the last two years.
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/hotels-charging-close-to-1000-for-two-nights-as-cities-brace-for-influx-of-st-patricks-day-tourists-41417936.html Hotels charge close to €1,000 for two nights as cities ramp up tourist numbers over St. Patrick’s Day
