South-west tourist interests promote ‘staycation’

“STAYCATION” — the latest buzzword by tourism marketing brains in America — is now being used in the south-west.

To “staycate” means to stay in your own country for the holidays, a message being driven home this season where the visitor slump is reported to be anything from 15% to 70%, depending on location.

Well-known Killarney hotelier Michael Rosney yesterday said prices in Ireland are now as low as they have ever been, with the industry offering good value to customers.

“People who ‘staycate’ this year might be pleasantly surprised by how much value and enjoyment they get out of an Irish holiday,” he said.

Almost three million visitors come to the Cork /Kerry region each year, generating a spend of almost €900 million.

Faced with a marked drop in overseas visitors this year, a huge promotional effort is underway to entice Irish people to holiday at home, with hotels all over the country offering cut-price deals.

Kerry alone has more than 80 hotels, as well as hundreds of B&Bs, self-catering accommodation and caravan parks.

Mr Rosney, spokesman for the Kerry branch of the Irish Hotels’ Federation, said the value of tourism to the region could not be overstated. Given the success of tourism over the past 20 years, he said many people thought the good times would keep on rolling.

“But, they haven’t,” he added.

Citing the fall in the value of the dollar, the recession and energy costs as negative factors, Mr Rosney said any of these issues in isolation could cause a “bit of a problem” for people in tourism.

“But when they all come together, then it becomes more than ‘a bit’ of a problem. It becomes a very serious problem — one such as they have not faced in recent times.”