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Mayor Michael O’Shea presents the new Kerry Tourism Strategy to Billy Condon, Vice Prseident, Tourism Ireland North America in New York. On right is the County Tourism Officer John
THE Mayor of Kerry, Cllr. Michael O’Shea is in New York at the start of a series of engagements around St. Patrick’s Weekend in both New York and Boston.
Yesterday, the Mayor presented copies of the new Kerry Tourism Strategy, 2016-2022 to Mr. Billy Condon, Vice President, Tourism Ireland North America, met with Mr. Seamus Carroll, Vice President IDA Ireland and visited the Irish Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Mr. Tim Mawe, about securing UNESCO world heritage designation for the Valentia Trans-Atlantic Cable Project.
The Mayor is due to attend the St. Patrick’s Day breakfast hosted the Mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, this morning (11am Irish time) and will march with the Kerry Association in the New York Parade down Fifth Avenue later in the afternoon.
He flies to Boston on Saturday for a further series of engagements including a Destination Kerry Tourism Promotion with Tourism Ireland and Shannon Airport on Monday and meeting with the Kerry diaspora.
As well as meeting Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, he will meet the Mayor of Springfield, Domenic Sarno. Cllr. O’Shea is accompanied by the Council’s Tourism Officer, John Griffin.
Speaking prior to his departure, Mayor O’Shea said that “St Patrick’s Weekend visit gives us a great opportunity to engage with key players in business, tourism and economic development in the United States. At a time when County Kerry is looking for every opportunity to promote the county overseas as a destination to live in and do business, there is no substitute for engaging directly with key leaders and representatives in the US, a country which has contributed so much to economic development and tourism in Kerry,” he said.
