News

Shannon Chamber was delighted to welcome H.E. Nicola Faganello, Ambassador of Italy to Ireland, to Shannon last week. The visit, hosted at Shannon Airport, brought together a diverse group of member companies from both the industry and tourism sectors. Ambassador Faganello was accompanied by Honorary Consul Maria Gabriella Caponi, who represents the Italian Embassy in the Munster region.

The meeting opened with introductions from representatives from Shannon Chamber, The Shannon Airport Group, Jaguar Land Rover, Ei Electronics, BBNet, Fáilte Ireland, Trump International Hotel Doonbeg, Clare County Council, and Dromoland Castle Hotel.

A comprehensive briefing on the activities of The Shannon Airport Group was delivered by the Group’s deputy CEO and chief commercial officer, Ray O’Driscoll. He highlighted the airport’s strong performance in welcoming 2.3 million passengers this year, the highest figure in sixteen years, and operating 40 routes, the most in over two decades. He also showcased developments within the 600-acre Shannon Airport Business Park, where 1.2 million sq. ft. of commercial property has been built or refurbished in the past decade, along with ongoing infrastructure upgrades and sustainability initiatives at both the airport and the business park.

The Ambassador also received an overview of the region’s growing tourism strengths, particularly in hospitality, leisure, and golf. With major international golf events scheduled over the next two years, boosted visibility is expected to drive significant growth in golf tourism. Collaborative golf packages are being developed to extend visitor stays and enhance the visitor experience.

Presentations also highlighted County Clare’s rich cultural offering, vibrant music scene, and community events. The slogan “Clare is Cool” resonated as a unique tourism message, especially for central European visitors seeking a cooler climate during increasingly hot summers. Of further note was Clare’s achievement in becoming the only county in Ireland to secure Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) certification, reflecting strong sustainability practices across local businesses.

Participants expressed a strong interest in building business links with Italian counterparts; an initiative Shannon Chamber intends to advance in partnership with the Italian-Irish Chamber of Commerce. Commenting after the event, Shannon Chamber CEO Helen Downes remarked: “The key takeaways from the meeting were the importance of building relationships between Shannon, the wider region, and Italy; leveraging enhanced connectivity to boost tourism; and promoting GSTC certification as a unique selling point. We look forward to strengthening Shannon–Italian relations following Ambassador Faganello’s visit.”

Ambassador Faganello thanked all contributors and expressed his enthusiasm for future collaboration, noting the significant opportunities created by the growing connectivity between Shannon and Italy, via Rome, Naples and Turin.