Bus boost for Northside tourism

POPULAR visitor attractions across the Northside are set for a tourism boost following the launch of a new

‘Hop On, Hop Off’ sightseeing bus route.

The service will be operated by, Dualway, which uses its eye-catching red double-decker buses to bring thousands of tourists every day to top city attractions on its Hop On, Hop Off tours.

Earlier this month a new

‘blue’ route was introduced that’s taking in Northside attractions like Croke Park, Glasnevin Cemetery & Museum and the Botanic Gardens.

The new route was welcomed by Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport, Leo Varadkar,

“This

‘true blue’ route will take visitors on a journey that gives an insight into the struggles and victories that shaped this country encapsulating social, cultural and sporting history, amazing views and landscapes from three of Dublin’s top 10 attractions,

? he said.

Local Fine Gael election candidate, Noel Rock, who compiled a petition signed by 900 local residents calling for a tour bus last October, described the launch of the service as

“a fantastic boost for local tourism

?.

“We need to create new local jobs that are sustainable, and this will do just that,

? he said.

“We have a fantastic area, with fantastic amenities, and I’ve been working hard – alongside others who also deserve credit – to ensure that this area is showcased as much as possible.

“Glasnevin Cemetery, Botanic Gardens and Croke Park are some of the many gems of this area, and I’m glad that they are now going to be accessed by more people.

“What we need to do now is to ensure that local businesses and local people feel the benefits of this. From what I’ve seen, the traffic won’t be disrupted and the stops won’t be intrusive, so I hope that we will get all the positive without any of the negative.

?

Speaking at the launch of the service Chairman of Glasnevin Trust, John Green, said:

‘This truly is a momentous occasion for tourism on the Northside of Dublin, bringing together, as it does, three of Ireland’s most popular historical attractions in on one tour.

“It is an excellent collaboration between these three great institutions and I would also like to pay particular thanks to Dublin City Council for their outstanding support in bringing this venture to fruition.

“A key objective for us at Glasnevin Cemetery is to educate the Irish public and international visitors about our rich and storied history and this new blue route will provide the expected 700,000 visitors with an easy way of doing so.

?

GAA President, Liam O’Neill, was equally enthusiastic about the new Northside sightseeing bus service.

“We are delighted to be part of the new Citysightseeing bus tour and to work with Dualways, Glasnevin Trust and the OPW to improve access to our wonderful attractions,

? he said.

“Last year more than one in four Irish people visited Croke Park to support their local teams, visit the museum and experience the breath-taking Stadium Tour and Etihad Skyline.

“The new bus route will facilitate tourists who would like to come for a true Irish experience and get behind the scenes at Croke Park, take in the views from the roof top tour and visit our interactive GAA Museum. We look forward to welcoming them.

?

David McConn from Dualway said the new service was an exciting time for both Irish and Dublin tourism.

“We have witnessed the levels of growth in Irish tourism over the past year and we feel this new true blue route is a great opportunity to bring substantial additional visitors to these three iconic venues in Dublin,

? he said.

The new service is already proving to be a jobs boost, with Dualway, set to increase its staff by almost half with the immediate recruitment of 46 new employees

The new staff will be mainly for the

‘Hop On, Hop Off’ tours.