Lockdown hits Galway jobs potential

Galway and the entire West of Ireland will face intensified international competition to attract Foreign Direct Investment in 2021, the regional head of IDA Ireland has warned.

And investment must first be won for Ireland, before regional locations are considered, according to Catherina Blewitt, West Regional Business Development Manager with the IDA.

She added that continued investment in bus, cycling and walking infrastructure are of key importance.

Ms Blewitt said that despite the pandemic, Galway still managed to attract investment in 2020 and create around 360 IDA-supported jobs.

However, site visits with potential new investors in Galway – seen as key to building relationships – were down 65% in 2020 due to Covid-19.

In 2019, there were a total of 46 visits to sites in Galway by potential investors. In the eleven months from January to November 2020, there were 16 visits.

“In the absence of physical site visits due to the restrictions, IDA Ireland moved to a virtual or e-site visit offering which proved very effective, but cannot replicate a physical visit where relationships with clients are built.

“Especially in Galway and the West, where as well as the business landscape and property options, investors get a real sense of the region’s offering in terms of culture and the rich tradition of the arts, great sporting and social amenities and our beautiful landscape when they visit – in short, all of what we have to offer here,” said Ms Blewitt.

She said that despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, it was encouraging that Galway still saw job creation last year.

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