tourIsm Ireland’s inbound tourism recovers


The tourism sector and ‘Broken Britain’


kurt janson is policy director of Tourism Alliance


Latest figures from Ireland’s Central Statistics Office (CSO) have shown that inbound travel is “moving into recovery”, according to transport, tourism and sport minister Leo Varadkar. Figures for the second


down of British society. Most of this is simply a knee-jerk reaction to be replaced by the latest “end-of-the-world-as-we- know-it” issue in a few months time. However, there is a very real underlying


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issue of residents becoming disconnected communities. In a tourism context, the introduction of budget airlines has resulted in an increasing lack of awareness by parts of society as to what is on their doorstep. A holiday is no longer a holiday unless it is overseas, and a very large number of people now know the south of Spain far better than they know many parts of the UK. Yet over this period, the British tour-


ism product has developed and improved immeasurably – as it has had to in response to the overseas competition. And therein lies an opportunity. English Tourism Week next year (10–18 March 2012) is taking on an idea that has been successfully devel- oped by VisitKent over the last few years to “reconnect” people with local attractions. Te “Big Day Out” initiative provides resi- dents with free access to such attractions. Tis has two significant benefits. Te first


is that residents recognise the wealth and quality of tourism attractions on their own doorstep. In doing so, they take pride in what their area has to offer and become de-facto ambassadors. Te second is that research has found that people who visit attractions during the Big Day Out (which is held at the beginning of the season) are far more likely to return later in the season with friends and relatives that visit them. So there is a win-win for the residents


and the attractions that participate. OK, this initiative is not going to suddenly make communities come together and prevent future outbreaks of violence. But it does show that tourism can play a role in improv- ing the cohesiveness of communities. And it’s a role that doesn’t need government funding, an independent inquiry or out- side intervention by “specialists”.


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ollowing the recent riots, there has been much wringing of hands by the government and the media regarding the supposed break-


quarter of the year revealed an increase in the number of total trips to Ireland in excess of 15 per cent, compared with the same period in 2010. Nearly 1.8 million overseas


residents travelled to Ireland between April and June, tak- ing the total for the half year to June to nearly 3 million – up from 2.6 mil- lion in the first six months of 2010. Varadkar said: “Clearly comparisons with


Visitor numbers to Ireland have shown healthy growth so far this year


indications on the ground that overseas travel to Ireland is moving into recovery.” Te increase supports suggestions from


the first half of 2010 are distorted by the impact of severe weather and the volcanic ash on travel between March and May last year. Nonetheless, today’s figures confirm


recent private sector research, such as the STR Global report highlighted by Deloitte as showing a 9.9 per cent increase in Dublin hotel occupancy.


VisitBritain reveals appeal of UK football


More than 750,000 inbound visitors to the UK attended a football match in 2010, spending around £595m in the process, according to new figures from VisitBritain. Te agency found that Norwegian visitors are most likely to watch a Premier League


match, with popular teams including Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United. Around 40 per cent of those attending foot-


ball matches said sport was a primary reason for visiting the UK, with football boosting inbound numbers during quieter periods.


‘Very mixed’ summer for Welsh tourism


Wales’ tourism industry has experienced a “very mixed” summer 2011, with the country’s visitor attractions reporting varying perfor- mance compared with the same period last year. Adrian Greason-Walker,


executive director of Wales Tourism Alliance, told the BBC that an overall decline in expenditure had been anticipated by the industry as consumers cut back. However, Greason-Walker


also predicted that free admis- sion attractions could see growth in admissions for the period when figures are published in due course. “It seems the season has been very mixed.


Read Leisure Opportunities online: www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/digital July visitor numbers are up at Ffestiniog Railway, according to the BBC


Some businesses have fared okay,” he said. “But I suspect when the figures for this quarter are


out, although we will probably see an increase in footfall at free admission attractions, we will possibly see a fall in admissions to paid attrac- tions on the same quarter last year and a fall in secondary spend.”


Twitter: @leisureopps © CYBERTREK 2011


image: rixpix/shutterstock.com


image: darren hedges/shutterstock.com


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