Festival fans in danger of missing the boat

TALL SHIPS Race fans who’ve not yet booked accommodation in Waterford ahead of the festival in early July may well have missed the boat.

Every bed within a ten mile radius of the city which is registered with South East Tourism is fully booked for the Friday night of the Tall Ships Race event and accommodation for other nights is filling up fast it was disclosed yesterday.

As a national television advertising campaign got underway for the event, which is expected to attract 300,000 visitors to the city between July 6 and 9, Gary Breen, Marketing Officer with South East Tourism said that 70% of self catering accommodation in the Waterford area was booked out for the entire week.

And in a welcome development, few if any have hiked up their prices or attempted to cash in on the event. “There is nothing available on our computer system for the Thursday night but there is still availability on the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights, though it is booking out very fast,” he said.

There were strong indications, he said, that large numbers of people would be coming to the Waterford area for two or three nights to witness the Tall Ships.

He also speculated that visitors staying within a 50-mile radius of Waterford between July 6 and 9 would spend at least one day in the city.

Mr. Breen went on to say that the lead in time for bookings had now become quite short and he anticipated that the closer we got to the arrival of the Tall Ships to Waterford the greater demand would become for accommodation.

Some people could be staying as far away as Dungarvan, Clonmel and Wexford.

“This is a colossal event for Waterford and the numbers visiting the city will be massive. That will give a major boost to the entire region at a time when the tourist business is traditionally soft,” he added.

Hotels across Waterford have not attempted to cash in on the weekend. “This is an opportunity to showcase Waterford and therefore we are encouraging everyone in the trade to price their products the same that week as they would at any other time.”