Mary Hanafin, Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport is in Paris
today (Friday 22nd October, 2010) to participate in a series of meetings
and events to promote Ireland as a key tourism and cultural destination for
French tourists.  'Last year almost 400,000 French people visited Ireland,
making the island of Ireland a hugely popular destination and important
market to look to attract more tourists from' she said. 

Minister Hanafin will meet with marketing personnel based in the Tourism
Ireland offices in Paris. The Minister will also meet with some key industry officials from across
French travel trade.  This year alone some 120 media have travelled from
France to Ireland as part of Tourism Ireland promotional work. Publicity in
the French market continues to develop the theme ‘Ireland … island of
unique character and characters’.

Later in the day Minister Hanafin will visit the Irish Cultural Centre in
Paris and meet with the Director Sheila Pratschke. The Centre is hosting
two special concerts marking the 40th anniversary of Ireland’s longest
established chamber music festival.  The Centre Culturel Irlandais, which
opened in 2002, fosters collaborations between French and Irish artists.
The Centre aims to showcase a broad cross-section of artistic genres –
including the visual arts, cinema, literature and music – and is a focal
point for Irish culture in France.

Minister Hanafin will also attend a night of ‘KBC Music in Great Houses’ a
chamber music recital supported by Culture Ireland – a division of the
Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport. The centrepiece for these concerts will be a programme of music for the
Theresienstadt concentration camp which will be narrated by leading Irish
popular music performer, Jack L.