Tourism body warns it may fold without funding lifeline

A CASH-STRICKEN independent tourism organisation in West Cork has warned it cannot continue to operate on a “hand-to-mouth basis”.

Set up in the 1980s to promote and increase the profile of West Cork, the crucial tourism group revealed its future “is under real and significant threat”. The chairman of West Cork Tourism appealed to the county council’s Western Committee for financial backing.

Bantry-based Vivian O’Callaghan junior said: “With absolutely no support coming from central government, the local tourism organisations in this country have been left to fend for themselves and the work is beginning to suffer.”

He reminded county councillors West Cork Tourism was, at the time, established “to compensate for the shortfall in services provided to the region by Cork Kerry Tourism”.

The specific aim of the dedicated group, he said, was to design and implement a marketing strategy for the region and to promote it as a major tourist destination.

The group, Mr O’Callaghan said, had since played a significant role in increasing tourist traffic flow achieved through national and international advertising, in-store promotions and travel shows. The tourism body also publishes and distributes free a West Cork Holiday Guide and What’s On event guide.

On a shoestring budget, the group also organises and runs the West Cork Walking Festival and operates a website Westcork.ie.

Joined by Courtmacsherry publican Padraig Fleming and Skibbereen-based Fintan O’Connell in a deputation to the Western Committee, Mr O’Callaghan said the tourism body consisted of representatives from the industry along with representatives from statutory organisations.

“From a small base it has grown substantially and contributed significantly to the West Cork community through its promotional work and marketing,” he said.

“A large portion of our income covers only the administrative costs of the organisation and such a strong dependency on the revenue created by subscriptions renders the organisation unstable.

“An increase in grant aid from Cork County Council would assist greatly with administrative overheads and would release the income derived from subscriptions for use on more beneficial pursuits.

With the withdrawal of assistance from bodies such as FÁS, West Cork Tourism has found itself ‘in lonely and precarious waters’, he said.

Local authorities in West Cork contribute €80,000 to Cork Kerry Tourism with local business subscribing €78,000 to the statutory regional body last year.

Mr O’Callaghan, who is also a town councillor, warned: “If West Cork Tourism ceased to exist, our absence would not be felt overnight but if the region was to lose its only dedicated tourism promotion body the fallout would come quickly and with huge effect.”

The Western Committee supported a proposal from Cllr PJ Sheehan that Cork county council should press a special case for funding for the group.

“They can’t live on the wind,” said the Fine Gael councillor, suggesting Minister for Tourism Mr O’Donoghue should intervene.

Cllr Donal O’Rourke said the tourism body had a vital role to play in the region and he said the council’s general purposes committee should also consider an allocation to the group.

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