Longford native believes 2021 American Football event could kick start a recovery in Irish tourism [Video]

The Longford born business man involved in the promotion of Ireland’s Aer Lingus College Football Classic between Navy and Notre Dame, which was due to take place this weekend, believes the 2021 event, assuming a coronavirus vaccine is found, could ‘kick start a recovery in tourism’.

Padraic O’Kane, in interviews with the Irish Times and the Saturday panel on Off The Ball, explained that the 2021 event would be expected to bring 25,000 high-spending visitors to Ireland from the US, with a total economic spin-off of €50 million.

As an investor in the series’ promoter, Irish American Events, Mr O’Kane said IAE is targeting a further 5,000 visitors drawn from the US diaspora in Europe, with the balance of the Aviva’s near-50,000 capacity coming from local sales.

He cautioned that it would be impossible to sell tickets and packages to US visitors now unless they were guaranteed refunds in the event of a Covid-related cancellation.

He said on OTB that without a …