Ireland is a great place for tourism. There are many reasons it is appealing to visit relative to other countries. First, Ireland is filled with rich culture. This is apparent when you walk down the street and see all the authentic Irish restaurants and pubs. On every street corner you can grab a bite to eat and feel like you are in Ireland. The stores are unique and local, there are not very many chain restaurants. We have learned a great deal about the preservation of Irish culture and when you visit you can feel the authenticity in the stores and shops. Darren from Capa explained Irelands greatest natural resource is culture and you can feel it when you walk down the street or hear a local talk about the history of the Irish people.
The biggest takeaway I have felt contributes to the rich Irish culture is the Irish national sports of Gaelic soccer and hurling. We visited Croke Park and when ur tour guide explained the significance of the games and the stadium it became very clear to me exactly how important the preservation of the culture of Ireland is to the people. Locals support their communities in the games and don’t play for a salary, but for a passion. Passion is deeply rooted in the Irish people and after two weeks I have witnessed this daily.
The next reason someone would want to visit Ireland is language. It makes it easier to visit a country that shares the same language as a large majority of tourists that come visit. This is also a key reason many multi-national companies have come and headquartered their European operations in Ireland.
While there are strong reasons for wanting to visit Ireland as a tourist there are also reasons that may discourage tourists from visiting Ireland. First Ireland does not have the weather typical of a popular tourist attraction. Though me and the rest of the class have been very fortunate it rains often. Ireland is beautiful, though it does not have typical flashy tourist destinations such as beaches and sunshine. The next reason tourists may not want to visit Ireland is the cost of traveling there. Ireland is not cheap and it can get costly finding a place to stay and eating out.
Usually when people think of European tourist they think about Italy, Spain or France. All these places do have rich culture and are beautiful. However, Ireland is very rich in culture and you can feel it when you visit.