Tourism bodies officially merge

A NEW national tourism development authority to replace Bord Fáilte and CERT will be formally established later this month with Gillian Bowler as chairwoman.

Tourism Minister John O'Donoghue yesterday announced details of the new organisation to be known as Fáilte Ireland which will be headed by CERT's current chief executive Shaun Quinn.

Mr O'Donoghue said the merger of the two bodies came at a time when Irish tourism was facing an increasingly competitive international environment.

"Fáilte Ireland will focus on the experience of visitors when they get here, by working closely with the tourism industry to provide a one-stop shop for strategic and practical support to develop and sustain Ireland as a high quality and competitive tourist destination," said Mr O'Donoghue.

He claimed Fáilte Ireland would provide a new dynamic to ensure that tourists to Ireland had an enjoyable stay while also obtaining value for money. The minister indicated that the Government would act quickly on the forthcoming report from the Tourism Policy Review Group by taking specific initiatives to maintain competitiveness.

However, Mr O'Donoghue said the industry must go forward on the basis that Ireland could no longer be regarded as a low-cost destination.

Ms Bowler, the founder of Budget Travel, said the promotion of Irish tourism needed to be treated like any other business product which had to be adapted to tailor for niche markets.

It is also a perishable product that needs to be constantly re-evaluated and re-invented, she added.