Center Parcs may open holiday development in Ireland

UK forest retreat specialist Center Parcs is eyeing up Ireland as its next location for a luxury holiday development.

The company's chief executive Martin Dalby has indicated that he is considering opening up a resort here to cater for tourists and staycationers on both sides of the Border. In an interview with Travel Weekly, he said Ireland was "quite attractive" as a future location.

Mr Dalby had previously planned to open up a complex here during the boom years, and held advanced talks with the Government and landowners about the concept. But the project was abandoned when the financial crisis struck.

If the initiative now goes ahead, it is likely to create a jobs bonanza and mirror the large scale of the existing parks in England. A €300 million resort to be opened by the group in Bedfordshire next week features more than 600 lodges, a 75-bedroom hotel, a two-storey spa, a range of restaurants and dozens of leisure facilities.

The construction phase created 1,200 jobs and it will employ 1,500 workers when up and running.

Center Parcs has been operating Dutch-style forest holiday retreats in the UK since 1987.