Burj Al Arab in Dubai, Jumeirah at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi and Nejmeh Square in Beirut joined Tourism Ireland’s global greening initiative by lighting up emerald green for Ireland’s national day celebrations.
Beirut and Abu Dhabi took part in the global Irish celebrations for the first time ever this year, signifying the strengthening ties and bonds between Ireland and the Middle East region.
The Nejmeh square greening event was organised by the Irish Consulate in Beirut and the Irish Embassy in Cairo in partnership with the Mayor of Beirut. The greening celebrates the role in which Irish peacekeepers serving with UNIFIL played in protecting Lebanon during decades of conflict, in restoring peace and stability to Lebanon and in forging the bonds of friendship which unite the two countries.
Nejmeh Square was reconstructed to look exactly as it was before the 25 years of conflict.
Burj Al Arab, the Jumeirah-owned luxury hotel, lit up green for the fifth consecutive year.
Jumeirah Group president and group CEO Gerald Lawless commented: “We are very proud that Burj Al Arab continues to be recognised as a symbol of Dubai and we are so pleased that Ireland has chosen this great hotel to represent the celebration of everything Irish on St. Patrick’s Day.”
Tourism Ireland’s annual greening has grown from strength to strength. A number of new landmarks have joined the 2015 celebrations including the Colosseum, the Sacré-Cœur Basilica, the Grand Ole Opry, the famous Porte de Bourgogne in Bordeaux, the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge in Nashville, the Town Halls of Munich and Bamberg, the National Sanctuary of Cristo Rei in Lisbon, the Fram polar exploration ship in Oslo, as well as City Hall in Tbilisi, Georgia.
The new sites joined ‘old favourites’ which have gone green in previous years – including the Great Wall of China, Niagara Falls, the London Eye, the Allianz Arena in Munich, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Sky Tower in Auckland, Cibeles Fountain and Palace in Madrid and one of last year’s newcomers, the Sleeping Beauty castle at Disneyland® in Paris. And, once again, Chicago will be ‘going all out’ with greenings across the city.
Tourism from the Middle East region continues to grow with CSO figures for 2014 announcing that arrivals to Dublin from Asia and the Middle East markets grew by 13% when compared with 2013.