This article is from page 10 of the 2013-04-23 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 10 JPG
A SURVEY of the Clare tourism sector shows evidence of growing confidence in the industry.
Up to 300 people involved in tourism in Clare gathered at the Inn at Dromoland on Thursday night to participate in the annual Clare Tourism Forum Gala Networking Evening.
During the conference participants were informed of the findings of a survey, which found that 57 per cent of operators are confident that 2013 will bring an increase in tourism business for their attraction/business.
A quarter of those surveyed said that business levels would be similar to 2012. Meanwhile, the majority of those surveyed say they are more hopeful for a recovery in the Irish tourism sector this year than they were last year, while 87 per cent said they plan to either maintain or increase existing staffing levels during 2013.
Just 13 per cent of operators said they were planning to reduce staff numbers this year.
Maureen Cleary, Marketing Executive, Clare Tourism Forum explained that Clare tourism operators have responded well to the shift in visitor trends in recent years with a significant increase in the number of people holidaying at home.
“While not neglecting the potential offered to Clare tourism by the international visitor market, a huge amount of work is being carried out by operators, both individually and collectively, to market the County’s many wonderful attractions to the domestic market. There is growing confidence in the Clare tourism sector as evidenced by the results of a recent Clare Tourism Forum survey of more than 100 local tourism operators,” she added.
Donnagh Gregson, Chairperson of the Clare Tourism Forum stressed the continued need for tourism operators to work together to increase tourism business in the County.
“The local tourism sector continues to face challenges in an increasingly competitive and commercial marketplace. However, Clare tourism and hospitality operators are actively working together to capture and increase visitor numbers to the County.
“Networking events such as this help consolidate Clare’s growing status as a competitive and appealing destination to both domestic and international visitors alike,” she said.
“This event also helps to promote collaboration between our members and other agencies involved in the promotion of tourism at home and abroad.”
The purpose of the free businessto-business event was to provide tourism providers with the opportunity to showcase their respective operations to the wider County Clare tourism Industry.