A €233 million state-of-the-art holiday village has been officially opened in Longford, marking the completion of Ireland's largest ever tourism project.

Center Parcs Longford Forest in Newcastle Wood is concealed within a 395-acre site near Ballymahon, retaining the high-quality features for which Center Parcs is renowned. These include 466 self-catering lodges and 30 apartments, a Subtropical Swimming Paradise, Aqua Sana Spa, shops restaurants and cafés, as well as more than 100 leisure activities.

In addition to the 750 jobs created during the construction phase, now the resort has been handed over it is expected to provide an additional 1,000 permanent roles in the locale. In total, the new site is set to add around €32 million to Irish gross domestic product (GDP) per annum, and around €1 billion over the next 20 years, making it the biggest private tourism development in the state.

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Martin Dalby, Chief Executive Officer at Center Parcs, commented: "Four years since we first announced our plans to expand into Ireland we all feel an enormous sense of pride and achievement to see the beautiful surroundings of Newcastle Wood transformed into Center Parcs Longford Forest, and for Ireland's families to finally have the opportunity to enjoy a unique forest resort experience."

Multi-disciplinary construction consultancy Edmond Shipway served as project manager, cost manager, and M&E consultant on the project.

David Stevenson, Managing Director at Edmond Shipway, added: "Having worked with Center Parcs on a number of its fantastic developments, I am delighted to be celebrating the completion of yet another exceptional village. Following an almost two-year construction process, I am particularly proud that Edmond Shipway was able to play such an instrumental role in its delivery on schedule and within budget, once again."

(CM/MH)