Minister’s record cash injection into tourism campaign targets Britain

TOURISM Minister John O’Donoghue will rely on a massive marketing campaign in Britain this year to spearhead a drive to grow the Irish tourist industry.

He has also given the go-ahead for a strategy that will address a potentially damaging trend within the Irish tourism sector whereby large urban centres - particularly Dublin - have become more popular, while visitor numbers have fallen in traditional tourist destinations along the western seaboard.

Faced with growing competition from Eastern European countries, new long-haul destinations as well as a radically changed market - driven by cheap flights and the internet - the expansion of the Irish tourist industry has slowed over the past three years.

While the American market has recovered from the post 9-11 slump, the number of visitors from Britain, which remains Ireland’s most important market, has remained static.

There were 4.7 million visitors from Britain in 2004, generating revenue of €1.7 billion. The figures represent no change from 2003 but several reports commissioned by the department and by the state tourism agencies Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland have shown that Ireland’s industry is vulnerable to competition from new European accession countries offering cheap direct flights.

Britons visiting Ireland account for 64% of all visitor numbers.

To counteract that, Tourism Ireland will allocate its highest budget of €14 million to frontline marketing activity in Britain during 2005. The strategy will pursue a year-round advertising presence in national and regional media, as well as on the internet.

The tourism industry in Ireland, as in Europe, has undergone fundamental changes over the past few years, with visitors increasingly opting for short urban-based breaks over longer holidays.

The minister said it has resulted in tourism growth in urban centres such as Dublin with corresponding under-performance in the regions, especially places without a nearby airport that has direct flights from Britain and Europe.

The minister’s long-term strategy is to increase visitor numbers to Ireland from seven million per annum to 10 million by 2012, a plan that will necessitate the availability of frequent direct flights into the country’s airports.

Inevitably, Dublin will be the access airport for the overwhelming majority.

From the minister’s perspective, a second terminal at Dublin Airport is a necessity. The airport will need to be able to facilitate quick flight turnarounds as well as deal with growing passenger numbers.

To address the regional disparity, Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland will promote ‘market pairings’ designed to attract British and European visitors to regional Irish destinations accessible by direct flights through Knock, Shannon and Cork airports.

In addition, distinct Irish regions will be specifically promoted in mainland Europe on an annual rotational basis. The pairings for 2005 are:

Netherlands/Belgium/Luxembourg: western regions.

Nordic countries: East Midlands and Dublin.

France: north-west Ireland.

Germany: Cork/Kerry.

Spain: south-east Ireland.

Italy: Cork/Kerry.

Mr O’Donoghue last month said: “Tourism Ireland’s analysis of the competitive challenges ahead internationally is a sobering read ... there is very little about which Ireland can remain complacent.”