SHANNON Chamber bid a warm welcome H.E. Nicola Faganello, Ambassador of Italy to Ireland, to Shannon.
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.
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.
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.”