Construction BUSINESS

The addition of direct flights between Dublin and Hong Kong opens up a whole world of new opportunities for Irish business, according to Dublin Chamber. The Chamber was responding to the news that Cathay Pacific is to start direct flights from Dublin to Hong Kong from June 2018.

Dublin Chamber, which has acted as secretariat for the Ireland Hong Kong Business Forum (IHKBF) since 2002, has been a driving force behind the establishment of a direct flight between the two countries over recent years.

According to Dublin Chamber CEO, Mary Rose Burke: “The opening of the direct route to Hong Kong is excellent news for Irish business. In a world of increasing uncertainty, it is vital that companies diversify markets and seek to minimise risks. As we await clarity on how Britain’s decision to leave the European Union will play out, it is important for companies to consider opportunities in new markets.

“Huge opportunities exist in Hong Kong for Irish firms and the country also provides a gateway into the increasingly lucrative Chinese market. There exist very strong synergies between Ireland and Hong Kong that would enable us to share the knowledge and skills necessary to drive two-way trade and investment links in the areas of fintech, education, technology, tourism and food and beverages,” she added.

Dublin Chamber said it is seeing very strong interest currently from the Asian firms seeking to explore business opportunities in Ireland.

Ms Burke added: “The Chamber has experienced a 5-fold increase in the number of delegations from China over the past 8 months. We’ve welcomed 10 delegations from China so far this year, versus 2 in the same period last year. We’ve also organised briefings on Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, China and Hong Kong in recent months.

“I commend the fantastic work that has been done by the IHKBF – in particular the efforts of current forum Chairman Liam Kavanagh – in realising direct flights from Ireland to Hong Kong and look forward to further cooperation to drive links between East and West over the coming years and decades,” she concluded.