GALWAY VOLVO OCEAN RACE LAUNCHED

Date Published: 13-Mar-2012

Ireland's set for a sixty-five-million euro tourism boost this year with the Volvo Ocean Race finale in Galway this Summer.

The Volvo ocean race fleeet will arrive in from Lorient to Galway this July and will attract a global audience of more than two billion people.

And it's expected to bring 50-thousand additional visitors here this year.

The finale will be an 8 day festival of sport, culture, entertainment and the arts and will embrace all cultures from each of the race stopovers.

The in-port race is scheduled for the 7th of July, after which the winner of the Volvo Ocean race will be declared.

Speaking at the launch this afternoon, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore says the festival massive opportunities and not just for tourism