Tourism sector faces ‘worst year in decade’
That’s according to a top executive with Fáilte Ireland, who said yesterday that newcomers to the industry would never have faced a season like this.
While some parts of the country are holding their own despite a number of negative factors, others are reporting a downturn in tourist numbers and money spent.
Fáilte Ireland south-east chief executive, Joe Palmer, said that the bad weather was playing a major role in keeping people away from traditional hotspots.
“The ‘sunny south-east’ rings somewhat hollow this year and the region is suffering a lot. It has certainly affected our resorts. Tourism will be down, there’s no doubt about it.”
According to Mr Palmer, 2008 will be “the most challenging year in a decade” thanks to the various negatives in force this season.
“After so many years of growth, we’ve hit a line this year,” he said. “There are new entries to tourism who won’t ever have experienced a year as difficult as this.”
The south-east is heavily dependent on the domestic market, Mr Palmer said, and the weather is putting off home travel.
Meanwhile, business is down by over 20% in one of the country’s main tourism areas, according to a local expert.
Wicklow tourism board member and hotelier, Pat Casey, said that reports from around the county were uniformly negative this summer.
“The weather is killing us altogether,” he said. “The county would be struggling badly and Wicklow would be a big day-travel destination for Dublin. From the home market, the people are beginning to feel the recession in their pockets; then we have a weak dollar and sterling which would be affecting foreign travel.”
Describing 2008 as “a tough year” for tourism, the owner of the Glendalough Hotel said that his business was down by about 10%, but the rest of Wicklow was harder hit. “I’d say most of the other areas would be down in excess of 20%.”
Mr Palmer said that the plus-side was that there is value to be had for those planning holidays and last-minute getaways. “It’s a consumer’s paradise at the moment because the rates have never been so competitive. Now is the time to go on holidays.”
