This article is from page 5 of the 2011-01-04 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 5 JPG
SHANNON region tourism providers are hoping for a much-needed injection of dollars after it was revealed that enquiries from US tour operators looking at holidays here are up ten per cent.
But there’s work to be done, Clare representative with the Hotel’s Federation, Michael Vaughan says, in the wake of figures which show visitors to Ireland are down one million on the numbers that came here in 2009.
Mr Vaughan said that bringing the visitors back to Clare “relies on us getting our product and our price right but for overseas visitors it’s also reliant on us getting links to markets through Shannon airport”.
Mr Vaughan said that flights between Ireland and a main German airport are a priority for the region. “We have so many attractions which that markets wants: cycling, boating, walking and we really need a link so they can come here.”
Mr Vaughan said that while domestic tourism in the region “held its own” last year, the lucrative UK market took a serious dive.
“The UK market has really dropped. Its possibly because people there have stopped taking a second holiday and are just taking one sun holiday. Ireland is seen as being too like the UK if people are cutting back.”
But there are some heartening signs, with US tour operator enquiries up 10 per cent on last year.
“A big question for next year is whether Shannon Development will find funding to promote the region. It seems as though the € 2.5 million Shannon Catchment fund is gone – it has just been absorbed into Tourism Ireland.”
He added that if “every tourism interest in the region plays its part, we will survive and grow”.
The market has come a long way in working on the perception of value for money which had dogged Irish tourism in the Celtic Tiger years.
“We need to do what we do very well. Giving people a great welcome and value for money packages and experiences,” said Michael.
The total number of overseas visits to Ireland in 2010 was down by 16 per cent on the previous year, according to the new report.
The Irish Tourist Industry Confederation says it is hopeful that visitor numbers will increase in the coming year. The end of year review from the ITIC estimates that 5.5 million people travelled to Ireland in the last 12 months, down one million on the 2009 total.
In the last three years, annual revenue from overseas visitors has declined by € 1.7 billion. Tourist numbers from Britain have fallen sharply in the same period.