Sunshine dreams mix with staycation stories as Holiday Show takes place in Limerick

THERE were huge crowds at the University of Limerick arena over the weekend at the fourth annual Holiday World Show in the city.

Hundreds of sun-seekers and stay-cationers attended the event, which saw over 100 exhibitors promoting visits around Ireland to far flung parts of the world.

Among those present were Shannon Airport, Aer Lingus, Discover Bundoran, the Malta Tourism Authority, the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, and Turkish Airlines.

A number of local hospitality businesses also joined in the fun at the event, which took place between 11am and 5pm across Saturday and Sunday.

Maureen Ledwith, the sales director of Holiday World Show said: “We organise Holiday World shows in Belfast and Dublin, but all our exhibitors say that when they come down here, this is their favourite show. They love the fact it is so relaxed and people have a great day out.”

Among those present were Castletroy couple Pat and Karen O’Connor, who stumbled on the event almost by accident!

“We were going for a walk around the grounds of Castletroy and saw there was a holiday show on, so we just thought we’d pop in and see what is available around Ireland,” Pat explained.

Pat and Karen are planning to spend their summer holidays on home turf this year, targetting at both West Cork and Northern Ireland.

“It’s extremely important for people to stay in Ireland for their holidays. Especially last year after the weather we had – there is no better place in the world to travel,” he added.

As well as the exhibitors, there was fun for the children, with bouncy castles, and a specially erected planetarium, which saw an exciting trip through the universe.