Niall Gibbons, chief executive of Tourism Ireland, says the announcement that most Covid-19 restrictions in Ireland will come to an end is excellent news for tourism and hospitality. ‘It means that we can now begin planning holidays in Ireland with confidence for the year ahead.

‘Tourism Ireland’s priority for 2022 is to restart overseas tourism to the island of Ireland. We will be pulling out all the stops to set Ireland apart from our competitor destinations, to drive bookings and revenues for tourism businesses. Together with our industry partners, we will undertake our most extensive marketing campaign ever in 2022. Our message – and that of the entire Irish tourism industry – is simple: we cannot wait to roll out the green carpet and welcome back visitors from around the world.’