Tourism body ‘not marketing city enough as Capital of Culture’
The national vice president of the Irish Hotels’ Federation, John Gately, yesterday criticised Tourism Ireland for failing to adequately market the region ahead of European Capital of Culture celebrations.
Mr Gately said he was horrified to find out on a recent Cork County Council-organised trip to Chicago that tour operators in the American mid-west did not have the city on their itineraries.
Rochestown Park Hotel managing director Liam Lally said the tour operators did not even know the city had been designated as European Capital of Culture. “Most tours were going to Dublin, and even Killarney wasn’t mentioned much. The Blarney Stone did get a mention, but Cork city didn’t appear. That’s horrendous when one thinks of 2005,” said Mr Gately.
Local hoteliers are going to do something about the situation.
“We have undertaken to do a follow-up marketing campaign early next year in America. We have taken on a company which will market Cork for us,” he said.
Mr Lally said he took about €250,000 of business away from the trip.
“It’s probably too late for the American market, but we must move to market it in Europe and also in England, especially where there are air route connections directly with Cork,” he said.
Cork county manager Maurice Moloney said that while people might say no great benefits came out of twinning, he was determined to use such connections to further the interests of Cork.
Tourism Ireland spokeswoman Margaret O’Reilly defended her organisation’s record.
“We’ve worked incredibly close with the Cork 2005 people and we’ve made it a focus of interest.” She said the city had been marketed this week at one of the world’s biggest travel fairs in London.
“We briefed more than 5,000 media in the US on 2005. We recently brought in 43 journalists from more than 20 countries to sample the city,” Ms O’Reilly said.
She added that details of an international marketing drive would be announced early next month and a programme was being finalised with Cork/Kerry Tourism in which 2005 would be a major focus.
Cork 2005 director John Kennedy said the event would generate a lot of visitors. He said traditionally Capital of Culture cities see their tourist numbers boosted by 15%.
“The overseas interest has been hugely significant and we work with them in servicing the large volume of queries from all of their markets,” said Mr Kennedy.
