Call for tourism tsar to woo Britons

HOTELIERS have called for the appointment of a tourism tsar to promote Ireland in Britain to tackle the “catastrophic decline” of British tourists choosing Ireland as a holiday destination.

According to the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF), there has been a 30% drop in the visitors from Britain in the last two years, a figure which is double that experienced by other European competitors who have been more successful in retaining the British market.

IHF president Paul Gallagher said the figures show that Tourism Ireland’s current marketing strategy in Britain is failing and that a new vision was needed.