MORE THAN 15,000 visitors to Limerick were helped this summer by guides, according to the Limerick co-ordination office.
The Limerick street ambassadors, a group of roving tourist guides, helped tourists from abroad, visitors from within Ireland and even local people.
The majority of tourists came from the US and France, with a sizeable number from Spain, the UK and Germany. Visitors also came from countries as far away as Brazil, New Zealand and Japan.
"We were delighted with the response we got from tourists this year, despite the weather. They really appreciated having a friendly face tell them which were the best places to visit, eat and shop," said Jean Ryan, team leader of the ambassadors.
"They would know all there is to know about the city and would provide visitors with necessary information to make their stay more enjoyable," said Laura Ryan, spokeswoman for the Limerick co-ordination office.
"They also report litter offences, graffiti and infrastructural defects, and provide feedback from the tourists to the Limerick City Council," she said.
Limerick's co-ordination office chairwoman, Kay McGuinness, was delighted with the feedback from the visitors and hoped the private sector would continue to fund the 2009 scheme.
"Local businesses are very supportive of the initiative and it would be fantastic to have our popular street ambassadors in the city for big Munster rugby weekends and around the Christmas season," she said.
"I think visitors appreciated hearing about Limerick from someone who has experienced the city as a foreigner," said Polish newspaper correspondent, Magda Sudol, in her second year as an ambassador. "People from eastern Europe were especially happy to have someone speak to them in their own language."