InBus_Win09_1-55:InBusiness 1-61 11/12/2009 16:19 Page 47
Tourism Report | FEATURE
with Tourism
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Ruraidh Conlon O’Reilly talks to tourism industry leaders and
looks at what can be done to help an ailing industry.
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ONE NARRATIVE OF THIS YEAR’S bleak
economic coverage has been the debate over
how much of the damage is homegrown, and
how much has been caused by international
factors. The tourism industry has to endure
both: burdened with all the difficulties of doing
business at home, they’ve also found that their
customers from abroad are disappearing.
The latest CSO figures indicate that visitors
made almost 600,000 fewer trips to the
Republic compared with the same period in
2008, a dip of nearly 11 per cent. What is going
wrong, and how can it be put right?
“Overall it was a very challenging and difficult
year,” confirms Niall Gibbons, Chief Executive
of Tourism Ireland, responsible for promoting
Ireland overseas. “Our visitor numbers are
projected to fall by about 9 per cent on the
island of Ireland as a whole. In terms of
holidaymakers, it’s a 13 per cent decline.” down 13 per cent but by the end of the year it British visitor has been finding Ireland expensive
“On the revenue side, there’s significant will be much worse – 20-30 per cent, for the past two or three years,” says Eamonn
discounting and visitors’ spend has been less. depending on what part of the country and McKeon, CEO of the Irish Tourist Industry
The official figures show the first half of the year what sector you’re operating in.” Confederation. UK tourism to Ireland will be
down by double digits by year’s end. The
THE CHALLENGES exchange rate issue is perhaps the most
According to Gibbons, the biggest challenge frustrating factor in play here but it’s beyond
has been the international climate: with GDP the control of the industry or government.”
in key markets such as the US, UK and “However, the key markets in Europe
Eurozone set to drop; the conditions are haven’t done too badly, given the
against people leaving their countries to circumstances,” says McKeon. “The US is in
spend heavily in others. “All this has to be put some respects the most surprising – only
into context: outbound travel from Britain is down 3-4 per cent on last year; a surprise
down 16 per cent to all destinations. given the weakness of the dollar and the US
According to the UN World Tourism economy. Part of that is because business was
Association, international tourism has declined so bad that the airlines discounted heavily and
by 7.5 per cent between January and July; oil was cheap.”
international tourism is down by 8.5 per cent
for Europe,” he says. MORE COMPETITIVE
The UK is a particular problem. “Their In many respects, the tourism industry mirrors
Niall Gibbons, Chief Executive, Tourism Ireland. economy is weak, Sterling is weak and the the retail industry – leaders are equally
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