A huge hand-crafted piece of sand-art has been unveiled in County Waterford to celebrate the reopening of the tourism sector.

The piece, hand-carved into the sand at Kilmurrin Cove, is 120ft high and 200ft wide.

It was created for Fáilte Ireland by environmental artist Sean Corcoran in a bid to “rally the nation to get out and explore all that Ireland has to offer.”

Yesterday, hotels, B&Bs and guesthouses around the country reopened their doors for the first time this year.

Meanwhile, outdoor dining is set to return from Monday.

A bespoke piece of sand artwork commissioned as part of the Fáilte Ireland ‘Keep Discovering’ campaign. Image: Andres Poveda Photography

Fáilte Ireland spokesperson Caoimhe Ní Dhuibhinn said the piece aims to “draw a literal line in the sand on the past number of months” and welcome the summer of exploration ahead.

Mr Corcoran said the piece includes a host of iconic images outlining some of the best things to do in Ireland this summer.

“That was so much fun,” he said.

“I’ve been creating environmental artwork for many years, but after such a long time under restrictions it was wonderful to get out on my local beach again and do what I love.

“I had my own little self-discovery today creating this very integrated piece, discovering different locations across the country as I drew them.

“We started by going up the east coast and going across to the Wild Atlantic Way, creating the outline of the country and then crafting the iconic images one associates with Ireland.

“While it was nice to visit them in my head, I can’t wait to get out and experience all that Ireland has to offer in person this summer.”

Fáilte Ireland’s ‘Keep Discovering’ campaign aims to drive domestic holidays for the remainder of the year and help reboot and rebuild Ireland’s tourism industry.

People can visit DiscoverIreland.ie to be inspired and plan their own staycation.