The West of Ireland is set for a tourism boost as Scandinavian Airlines launches a new route between Shannon Airport and Swedish capital Stockholm.

The service will operate twice a week from August until October next year.

Tourism Ireland CEO, Niall Gibbons said the new route spells good news for Irish tourism in 2017.

“As an island destination, the importance of convenient, direct, non-stop flights cannot be overstated – they are absolutely critical to achieving growth in inbound tourism,” he said.

“The Nordic Region is an important market for tourism to the island of Ireland with the latest CSO figures indicating growth of about 3.5% in Nordic visitors.”

Matthew Thomas, CEO, Shannon Group said the announcement is a great boost for the region from one of the world’s major airlines.

“This new service will not only have a positive impact for inbound tourism for the West of Ireland, but will also provide valuable business connectivity as people using the service will be able to connect at the SAS hub at Stockholm Arlanda Airport for flights to over 22 destinations,” he said.

Shannon Airport operates direct flights to 35 destinations in 11 countries worldwide