Tourism chiefs are to use the fast-approaching smoking ban to attract more visitors to Ireland, it emerged today.

With the slogan ’Dublin A Breath of Fresh Air’ the industry is hoping to make 2004 a record year for visitor numbers.

Dublin Tourism is one of the first companies in the hospitality sector to accept the inevitable and use the ban as a positive marketing tool.

Chief executive Frank Magee said a smoke-free city could certainly work in their favour and it was logical to make the best of the situation.

“The Government has made its decision so we might as well get on with it,” he said.

“We are better off telling people about it before they come here than having them shocked when they find out.

“Apart from anything else I’m sure many tourists will come to Ireland because of the ban – people will welcome the opportunity to visit a smoke-free city.” Dublin Tourism’s research shows that 80% of visitors will welcome the ban.

Mr Magee said it would be used to enhance the overall appeal of Dublin and it would play an integral part in the group’s plans to increase visitor numbers to the capital by 5% this year.

“People tell us that the memorable thing about their visit to Dublin is the people,” he said.

“It’s the atmosphere in the pubs, the buzz in the restaurants which sets us apart. They feel the warmth of the welcome.”

Health minister Micheál Martin claimed last year that the ban would have no impact on tourism.

But he has since announced that hotels, guest houses and bed and breakfasts will be exempt from the new legislation.

Mr Magee said that with an increase of 15% in rooms available and the projected rise in tourists, there could only be a reduction in prices.

“One thing is certain for 2004 Dublin will offer great value to visitors,” he added.

Tourism Ireland, Fáilte Ireland and Dublin Tourism said they intend to increase visitor numbers by 4% in 2004, which would result in a record 6.4m visitors from abroad and bring €4.3bn to the country.

They also set a similar target set for the domestic market, which would result in over three million trips taken by Irish people within the State, generating €1.13bn.

Tourism Ireland, which markets the entire island abroad, also intends to increase overseas visitor numbers by a further 4% to over 7.7m in 2004.

Chief executive Paul O’Toole said they would be working with Dublin Tourism to get its message out as well as looking for other positive opportunities in the market.

“The smoking ban will certainly become part and parcel of our strategy when it comes to marketing the different attributions and faces of Ireland,” he said.

“I’m sure the US market, where the culture of non-smoking is prevalent, would openly embrace the ban but in certain parts of Europe it may not be seen as a highlight.

“We will be looking at details like that and using different factors to market the country in different places.”

Mr O‘Toole said its target, which if realised it would exceed growth predicted by the World Tourism Organisation for Europe as a whole, was “ambitious but achievable.”

“Forecasts for 2003 show that despite the challenging environment for the industry, the island of Ireland will have gained significant market share in both a global and European context, outperforming top traditional holiday destinations including Great Britain, France and Spain,” he added.

“We aim to capitalise on that success and continue to build on the strong positioning of Ireland on the world stage.”

Chief executive of Fáilte Ireland, Shaun Quinn said the aim was to increase the number of domestic holidays taken in the Republic to 4.3 million by 2012.

“This is very challenging for the Irish tourism industry, particularly in the context of an increasingly competitive and dynamic marketplace,” he said.