Hotelier urges ‘compelling’ tourism campaign

IRELAND’S tourism industry has evolved from one dependent on the “55-plus, Irish-American, Catholic, war veterans wearing Aran sweaters, green caps and blue rinses” in the 1980s to become a key sector in our economy, a leading hotelier said yesterday.

John Brennan, of Park Hotel Kenmare, said there have been “huge changes” in tourism since the hotel opened as one of only a handful of five-star properties in Ireland in 1980.

He made his comments at a conference attended by industry leaders and academics at Waterford Institute of Technology.

He said it was vital to no longer rely on ethnic links but rather reposition Ireland as a destination of choice.

“I don’t accept the argument that Ireland’s tag as a high-cost destination is deserved and at the high-end we compare well on price with what’s available internationally.”

Outlining how deluxe destination spas can capture valuable media exposure and act as a magnet for high-spending visitors, he said only Mauritius has a comparable spa offering per capita to Ireland’s.

Calling for an “innovative, compelling and consistent” campaign to market what he termed the “new Ireland”, he questioned why the US visitor market is recovering strongly in Italy, Britain, France and Eastern Europe but not in Ireland.

“I wonder if we are reaching the right markets through the right channels and question our ability to portray ourselves in a way that countries like New Zealand have been tremendously successful at.”

WIT chairman, Redmond O’Donoghue, said “a little reinvention” may be required, but noted that “consumers do not buy on cost alone with the price/value relationship important”. He said “expectation, marvel and remembrance” are the key areas under which Ireland must score heavily.