Today we visited the Cliffs of Moher and Galway! I had such a fun time on this trip. The Cliffs of Moher were beautifully breathtaking, and Galway was such a cute town filled with shops and restaurants. I greatly enjoyed the visits to these places, as well as the fancy, fun bus that we were on as well!

After this visit, I have reflected back upon this past week and all of the tourism activities that I have taken part in. From this, I believe tourism is a large part of Ireland’s economy and culture, mainly in Dublin. After a week of living in this city, I feel as though I have become accustomed to seeing the many sightseeing buses roll by with a full vehicle of onlooking tourists in them. I see the Guinness Storehouse bags, and hear the many languages of people trying to figure out what to do and where to go. Throughout this experience, I have recognized that tourism is a large part of Dublin’s economy. It is also part of the city’s culture. The citizens who live here have become used to the tourists, and every interaction I have had with locals in Dublin have been polite and accepting. Many seem to embrace the tourists and ask where we are from and if we are enjoying the city. It has been a great experience in Dublin. While tourism is prevalent in other places in the country (Kilkenny, Cliffs of Moher, Galway), I am sure it is different in the more rural places of Ireland. The culture and economy do not depend as much on tourism.

If I were in charge of the sales pitch behind Ireland, I would first highlight the beautiful scenery, castles, and architecture. I would also make it appoint to highlight the people of the city, as they aid to the culture and how accepting the city is. Overall, today was a lot of fun and allowed me to reflect upon how tourism affects this country.