BBC’s Top Gear visit to Kerry welcomed by Griffin

Kerry Fine Gael TD, Brendan Griffin is warmly welcoming the announcement today (Wednesday) by Top Gear presenter, Chris Evans, that the programme is to visit Kerry this week.

“Two years ago I contacted the BBC and invited the Top Gear programme to come to Kerry and the Wild Atlantic Way, as I believed that the landscape, the roads and the people would be a perfect fit for the programme. I was delighted today to hear Chris Evans confirm that the show will be coming to Dingle on Friday.

“Top Gear is a hugely popular programme watched by millions of people across the globe. By coming to Kerry, the programme will expose the area to a whole new audience and will present a massive opportunity for tourism.

“Over the past number of years Ireland’s tourism offering has increased hugely and the number of overseas visits to Ireland between December 2015 and February 2016 has increased by 17.1% compared to the same period last year. However there is potential to continue on this road and to see further growth.

“A Tourism Action Plan is in place to move us toward our 2025 targets of €5 billion in overseas tourism revenue and 250,000 jobs in the tourism sector. 

“Major programmes and films such as Star Wars’ visit to the Skelligs, and now Top Gear’s trip to Kerry, draw attention to the area and their importance cannot be underestimated. This is a free showcase for our spectacular county and culture. I look forward to the people of Kerry welcoming the Top Gear team to Kerry. I am confident that they will get some stunning shots of the area, which will attract many new tourists to Kerry.”