The aspirations of the good burghurs of Westport to convert the annual tourism season to a year-long affair, are being fulfilled ahead of time this year after celebrations for Valentine’s Day flooded Mayo’s tourist haven with its first major influx of visitors for 2012.
Notwithstanding the fact that this unique loved-up annual calendar event traditionally proves a magnet for romantic lovers, this year’s celebrations were especially remarkable for the enduring length of festivities. Indeed, the staying power of Valentine Day revellers this year can only be marvelled at given that, for some, this 24-hour licence for public displays of affection somehow magic-ed into a week-long loved-up-marathon, with many arriving in the county last weekend for ‘the match’ still very much in evidence in towns around Mayo up to this weekend.
Those lucky in love have been reporting a great night out on February 14 with packed restaurants in Westport, Castlebar, Ballina, Claremorris and even in such far reaches of the county as the Achill Cliff Hotel, which one lovestruck insider reported this week to the Mayo Advertiser as ‘the place to be’ for Valentines.
Enterprising operators in the hospitality sector who successfully flaunted their irresistible offers to those bearing Cupid’s arrows must vow to maximise even further on this calendar event next year, by definitively branding Valentine packages as Valentine Week packages. This in turn will mean that the much-welcomed Christmas visitors to our county will actually mark the start and finish point of the annual tourist season - making the realisation of tourism as a year-round industry in this wonderful county of ours – a truly achieveable goal.
In keeping with the romance theme, it is also fitting to include here the findings of a timely survey released this week showing that more than half of workers have admitted to having an office romance, with a majority saying it is acceptable to have a romantic relationship with a colleague at work.
According to the IrishJobs.ie survey on workplace romance, four out of five respondents have ‘no problem’ with office romances and believe you may indeed meet your soulmate at work, with only one fifth claiming it is unprofessional to have a relationship with a colleague; seven per cent of those surveyed believe that office romances should be kept a secret with 73 per cent saying it depends on the situation.
With more than half of those surveyed (56 per cent ) admitting to an office romance, one in five single workers are currently dating a colleague and 15 per cent of married respondents (presumably not at the time ) met their other half at work.
There’s more - but the details will be spared here for fear too much tantalising might actually do damage to sensitive readers. Now that Valentine’s week is well and truly over, the best suggestion might be to keep your mind on your work - if you’re lucky enough to have work, that is.
