Summer in France

As the holiday season reaches its peak, thousands of holidaymakers are travelling to and from France.  Along with the well-known attractions of good food, wine and weather, are the French festivals throughout the summer.  Bastille Day is celebrated nationwide on July 14th while in Brittany the perfectly preserved medieval town of Quimper is brought to life every July with the Festival de Cornouaille.  The festival is Brittany's biggest celebration of Breton culture, with concerts, street musicians and parades.

"All key dates on the Pont Aven for Irish holidaymakers are heavily booked for the summer and August and September bookings are very strong," said Hugh Bruton, General Manager, Brittany Ferries.  "In addition we have welcomed 12% more French holidaymakers this year compared to previous years."

In fact, Brittany Ferries is making it even easier for French tourists to visit Ireland by offering mini-cruises.  French passengers board the Pont Aven in Roscoff on a Friday evening, sailing overnight and arriving in Cork on Saturday morning.  From there, coaches collect the mini-cruise passengers for a leisurely day in Kinsale or Cork City (Capital of Culture) and then it's back to Ringaskiddy where, once on board, travellers can avail of the finest French cuisine in one of the Pont-Aven's restaurants or bistros, enjoy live entertainment or just relax in their top class, air-conditioned cabins.

 "We're delighted that we can offer this taste of Ireland to our French neighbours," said Hugh Bruton, General Manager of Brittany Ferries Ireland.  "Our French mini cruises are up nearly 20% on last year and we believe it will encourage these travellers to return to Ireland next year for a longer holiday which can only benefit the tourism industry."

For bookings and further information on Brittany Ferries' routes and schedules, customers should ring 021 427 7801 or log onto www.brittanyferries.com.

-ends-

For further information please contact:
Claire Guiney, WHPR @ 01 669 0030
claire.guiney@ogilvy.com

Released 8 July 2005