Ireland ‘must offer quality to boost tourism’

IRELAND is not a cheap holiday destination and cannot compete with other places in regard to prices, Sean Quinn, chief executive of Fáilte Ireland, the recently formed national tourism body, has admitted.

However, he said Ireland could compete on quality, stressing the importance of developing top-class products and attractions to lure visitors. The need to offer value-for-money to boost the flagging €5.1 billion industry has already been highlighted by others, including Tourism Minister John O’Donoghue.

Mr Quinn said low air fares to Ireland were no longer a bonus and were fast becoming the norm so that other countries were also availing of them. In a world in which air travel would continue to become cheaper, tourism here had to build on quality.