This summer's Round Ireland Offshore Powerboat Race is set to give a massive boost to the local hospitality sector by bringing a minimum of 4,000 bed nights to the city's flagging hotels. In a presentation to Galway City Council on Monday night, Maria Moynihan Lee of Let's Do It Galway outlined plans for the major watersport event, which will take place from Saturday 5 to Saturday 12 June.

Approximately 75 boats of different sizes are to compete in the event, with the majority travelling from overseas. The fleet will prepare in the Docks over the Bank Holiday weekend before beginning the race on Monday 7 June.

The race will take place over five days, with stopovers in Killybegs, Bangor, Waterford and Fenit. The crew will then return to Galway for the end of race celebrations on Saturday 12 June.

An additional P1 Superstop Championship will see two races a day in the Bay on 6, 7 and 8 June. According to Ms Moynihan Lee, the boats are capable of coming between 100 and 200 metres to the Promenade in Salthill, ensuring a thrilling spectacle for watersports fans.

A race village, similar to that seen during the Volvo Ocean Race, is to be set up for the duration of the event and will feature two music stages, market stalls and amusements. However, it will be "considerably smaller" than last year's village and will cause minimal disruption to traffic in the city.

Predicting that the event could be a long-term boost to local tourism, Ms Moynihan Lee said there was a view to staging the race every four years with a possible connection to the Round Britain Race in the future.

She said the crew alone would bring 4,000 bed nights to city hotels, compared to 6,000 during the VOR. However, last year's event eventually yielded 200,000 bed nights through associated visitors and tourists and it is hoped that a similar knock-on effect will be experienced in June.

While the presentation was widely supported by local councillors, concerns were raised that swimmers in Galway Bay could be endangered should the racing boats come too close to the bay.

Galway City Council will decide whether to grant an event license for the race in May.

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