Hotels call for massive marketing plan

The Hotels Federation is calling for a massive marketing plan to boost the Irish tourism industry.

The IHF is estimating that expenditure of €20m is required to promote Ireland abroad.

The call comes after new figures show a decline in tourism figures last year of 7%, due primarily to the foot-and-mouth crisis and the fall-out from the September 11 terrorist attacks on the US.

It’s the first downturn in ten years. "It would be a good investment from the Exchequer’s point of view," says John Power, chief executive of the IHF, "there’s approximately a 20-fold return on every extra euro invested in direct marketing in tax returns."