tourIsm Irish marketing plans unveiled


Tourism I re l and has announced details of its mar- keting campaign for 2012, which aims to capitalise on this year’s return to growth in inbound visitor numbers. It is also hoped the strategy


will provide the foundation for efforts to welcome more than 9 million visitors to the island by 2015, which will exceed record numbers set in 2007. Te agency said it will be


looking to attract 7.8 million visitors during 2012, which will be a 5.5 per cent increase on figures for 2011 and will con- tinue the sector’s recovery. Irish tourism minister Leo Varadkar said:


“Te sector currently keeps 180,000 people in jobs right across the country, and there is great potential for further job creation. Te Tourism Ireland marketing plan will build on this progress. We are now building up to the


Tourism Ireland wants to attract 7.8 million overseas visitors next year


Gathering in 2013, which will be the biggest tourism event ever held in Ireland.” A new international advertising campaign;


a focus on Ireland’s “best prospects”; targeting the top four markets; and boosting access are among Tourism Ireland’s priorities for 2012.


NIAO publishes review of NITB’s Signature Projects


Te Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIAO) has published its review of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board’s (NITB) Signature Projects. According to the NIAO, Belfast’s Titanic


Signature Building would require 290,000 vis- itors each year to break even when complete


next March and could face a doubtful future if predicted visitor numbers are not realised. Meanwhile, the Giant’s Causeway Visitor


Centre – due for completion in July 2012 – will require “challenging” operating revenues of £1.6m a year in order to cover its costs.


Brighton in line for ‘eco-tourism’ future?


A member of Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) has outlined plans to establish the area as the UK’s capital for “urban eco-tourism” and to appeal to environmentally- friendly visitors. Under the proposal put


forward by BHCC cabinet member for tourism Geoffrey Bowden, a range of sustain- able assets and attractions would be promoted in a spe- cial marketing drive. It is hoped the concept


would enhance the Brighton and Hove visitor industry, while reducing its carbon footprint. Eateries serving locally- or ethi- cally-sourced food will also be included. Bowden said: “This city has thrived by swapping buckets and spades for conferences


© CYBERTREK 2011 Te iconic south coast resort could become an eco-tourism destination


and city breaks. Now, with the public becom- ing increasingly aware of environmental issues, the time is right for us to develop the city as a destination for eco-tourism.”


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2012 – a crunch year for tourism


kurt janson is policy director of the Tourism Alliance


F


or a number of reasons, 2012 is shaping up to be a crunch year for the UK’s tourism industry. If we do well next year then the future looks


more assured than it has since 2008 when the global credit crunch started. However, there are some significant hurdles the sector must overcome during the next year. Firstly, there is considerable uncertainty


surrounding the impact that the Olympics will have on both the inbound and domes- tic tourism industries. A recent survey by ETOA shows that forward bookings for non-Olympic inbound tourism are down by around 90 per cent at the time of the Olympics, and by 30 per cent between the Olympics and the end of the year. Tese figures are supported by some of the large tourism attractions, which are reporting that forward bookings for 2012 are 40 per cent down from normal levels. And what about domestic tourism? It’s


unknown whether UK residents will refrain from taking their usual holidays in order to watch the Games on TV; whether they will simply holiday at a different time of the year; or whether they will want to “escape” the Olympics and holiday overseas instead. Te second major issue facing the indus-


try next year will be the state of the economy, both the UK’s and the Eurozone’s. Tere is a general consensus among economic com- mentators that if the eurozone can stay together next year it will probably survive. However, that is easier said than done, with a number of countries such as Italy having to raise huge amounts of new loans in the bond markets, which have become increas- ingly concerned about the lack of real steps being undertaken to solve the crisis. In the UK, public sector redundancies


will increase again next year and there remains a lack of compensatory growth in the private sector. As a result, unemploy- ment will continue growing and there is a significant risk of the UK sliding back into recession. Yet, if we make the most of the media opportunities associated with the Olympics and weather the economic uncertainty, a silver lining is starting to appear with regards to future prospects.


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image: jibi44


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