TOURISM N Ireland: Dracula to draw visitors
Tourism experts in Northern Ireland have created a map featuring locations from the newly-released Dracula Untold film in a bid to boost tourism in the region by spotlighting some of the awe-inspiring sites where the production was shot. Te film explores the his-
tory of the origins of Dracula –based on Bram Stoker’s classic novel – by weaving vampire mythology with the factual history of Prince Vlad. In response to its release,
Discover Northern Ireland has devised a map to give tourists the chance to visit the dramatic locations where Dracula Untold was shot. Some of the regions include well-known sites
Te Giant’s Causeway is one of the iconic locations included in the film
attractions industry expecting to see seasonal gains ahead of the morbid festivities. Tis is not the first time that the region
such as Divis Mountain, O’Cahan’s Rock, the Giant’s Causeway, Scrabo Country Park and Roe Valley Country Park. Agency projections estimate that the local economy saw a return of around £13.5m against the £1.6m production funding that was initially provided to Dracula Untold by Northern Ireland Screen. Te release of the film falls just in time for Halloween too, with varying sections of the
has benefited from the shooting of high-pro- file film and television productions, with the filming of Game of Thrones in Northern Ireland bringing a multitude of ongoing eco- nomic and cultural tourism gains. Elsewhere, Scotland saw a hike in visitor
numbers in the Glencoe area following the release of the James Bond blockbuster Skyfall. Details:
http://lei.sr?a=N7S8S
Airbnb eyes share of wider travel market
Online spare room rental service Airbnb is poised to expand its travel offerings through an online marketplace that would enable locals to sell tours and a range of other experiences related to their city. Te plan, which is part of a strategy to
build on Airbnb’s success in the accommo- dation market and transform the company into a hospitality firm, is one of several ways the US-based outfit is bidding to increase its share of traveller’s spending. As of the beginning of this year, Airbnb was operating in 34,000 cities across 192 countries, meaning the potential reach for this new marketplace is enormous. “We think there’s huge opportunities for
Government must ensure ‘Sharing Economy’ is fair
KURT JANSON is policy director of the Tourism Alliance
T
he government has recently announced the launch of an inquiry on the Sharing Economy with the hope of making the UK
a world leader for this type of businesses. For those unaware of the “Sharing
Economy”, this is the range of new technol- ogy companies that provide a platform for individuals to sell each other goods or ser- vices and includes companies like Uber (taxi services) Airbnb (tourism accommodation) and Fiverr (all types of services for US$5). Te name “Sharing Economy” is a bit of a
misnomer as these are essentially platforms that allow people to utilise assets that they have (skills, a property, a car) to become a micro-business and make money. While there are undoubtedly advan-
tages to the economy in providing a means by which people can generate additional income from their assets, there are funda- mental problems that need to be addressed. Key is that a lot of these microbusi-
nesses don’t comply with the regulations that apply to the businesses they are com- peting against. Tis is usually due to either ignorance (people who haven’t owned a hotel or B&B won’t realise what regulations govern renting out a room in their house) or because it would be unviable to operate if the regulations were followed (e.g.Uber cars aren’t wheelchair accessible). While there is a case that regulation
Airbnb co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk is driving growth
other services on top of accommodation,” Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky told Te Sunday Telegraph. “If I’m coming to London, what do I do? We think we have an opportunity to enhance your trip and experience.” The fast-growing company recently
attracted £306m in venture capital and has been reported to be trialling a number of new services outside of its core accommo- dation market, such as a service that would
© CYBERTREK 2014
allow people to sell seats at their dinner table online. In an interview for the Q1 2014 edition of Leisure Management magazine, Airbnb co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk out- lined the company’s plans to conquer Asia with sustained investment across 2014. “We’ve had properties in Asia for a long
time, but for the first time we have critical mass and sustained growth and we’re going to con- tinue to invest over there,” said Blecharczyk. Details:
http://lei.sr?a=G8K8X
Twitter: @leisureopps
should be proportional to the size of the business being operated, the Sharing Economy companies need to take respon- sibility for the people who are using their websites to make money. It’s not acceptable for companies to say “we’re just a tech com- pany that provides a platform and are not responsible for the products people list on the site” in the same way it’s not acceptable for football clubs to allow fans to make rac- ist chants, or Ebay to allow the sale of arms. Te Sharing Economy needs to show
itself as responsible by ensuring all custom- ers are aware of all the relevant regulations and have certified they are compliant before allowing products onto their sites. Aſter all, trust and a five-star review based on a flat having a comfy bed won’t inicate whether the gas boiler is leaking carbon monoxide.
Read Leisure Opportunities online:
www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/digital 9
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