Tourism industry - We have to invest across the board

DESPITE the customary whingeing from elements within Irish tourism, 2006 has turned out to be a bumper year for the industry.

In a welcome development, there has been a resurgence in the number of visitors from North America. For the first time since the appalling 9/11 atrocity, an outrage which turned off the flow of US tourists to Europe, pre-2001 tourism levels have finally been regained.

From the Irish perspective, the jewel in the crown was undoubtedly the Ryder Cup. Besides attracting vast worldwide television audiences, the event drew large numbers of US visitors as Europe’s leading players defeated a star-studded US team, in a gripping contest to retain the most coveted prize in golf.

In spite of the bad weather, viewers were treated to upbeat images of Ireland in a PR blitz laden with subliminal messages depicting an increasingly confident society and a burgeoning economy. Thankfully, publicans and hoteliers generally refrained from ripping off customers.

Overall — with the flow of US tourists topping the million mark, a rise of over 10% — almost 7.5 million overseas visitors came to Ireland in 2006, an increase of over 11%. In total, they were worth around €6 billion to the economy.

And if anything, according to the annual report of the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation (ITIC) 2007 will be even better as more than 8 million tourists are expected.

With the approval of a second terminal at Dublin Airport and progress on the issue of a national conference centre, vital components needed to put Ireland firmly on the international tourism map are falling into place.

Among highlights of its end of year review, the ITIC says 2006 was particularly good in terms of visitor numbers and revenue, with overseas visits generating close on €4bn. With more money in people’s pockets, domestic tourism remained strong and over 60% of hotel bed nights outside the capital were generated by the Irish market.

While there were 3.8 million visitors from Britain, an increase of nearly 6%, the star performer was the European market which delivered an increase of over 16%, as more than 2.2 million EU visitors came to Ireland.

Significantly, regional tourism is now expanding faster than Dublin’s growth rate, especially to the south-west, Shannon and the West.

But such a positive picture should not lead to a false sense of security. As the annual report warns, major investment in the whole tourist sector is badly needed. Unsurprisingly, the ITIC has called on Government to recognise this fact in the context of the new National Development Plan.

To remain competitive, according to Catherine Reilly, chairwoman of ITIC, there must be greater product innovation in line with Fáilte Ireland’s long-term strategy for 2007-2013. Highlighting the need for investment in major new events and stressing the need for the industry to deliver continuous product innovation, Ms O’Reilly emphasises that there should be much greater investment in publicly-owned cultural and heritage attractions.

With facilities at Dublin Airport stretched to the limit, completion of the second terminal there must receive priority treatment. However, that should not detract from investment in Cork, Shannon and other airports in the regions where tourism growth must be underpinned.