From Titanic to Temple Barf: how to keep tourism ticking
Just as the frequent flyers of the western world collectively take one look at their bank accounts and decide that 2009 is the year they will sit out their annual leave with a DVD box set and a bottle of Aldi wine, the Government has announced that it is setting up another high-level group to muse in a high-level manner on the ways in which Ireland can boost its tourism numbers up to, um, a high level.
The Tourism Renewal Group, which will be chaired by ex-Quinnsworth and ex-C&C boss Maurice Pratt, has been asked by Minister for Tourism Martin Cullen to “set out a framework for action” to ensure that our tourism industry doesn’t wither. It’s an important task: last year, tourism accounted for 4 per cent of the Republic’s gross national product (GNP), employed more than 250,000 people and spun revenues of more than €6.5 billion.
So, apart from building, fixing and cleaning public toilets in key tourist destinations, where should the Tourism Renewal Group start? Here are five steps that could keep tourism ticking:
1. Stop relying on rich Americans
When even Dublin’s Merrion Hotel is losing money (as it did in 2007), the time has come to realise that there just aren’t enough of them to play for – and anyway when Donald Trump finally succeeds in his plan to concrete over the windswept dunes outside Aberdeen with his new golf resort, all the rich Americans will be taking their heritage trips to Scotland instead.
2. Make the most of what we’ve got
In Belfast, they are building a gleaming, skyline-dominating monument and museum that celebrates Harland & Wolff’s role in constructing the Titanic. That’s right, they are pouring money into something that reminds everyone of Irish involvement in one of the most infamous engineering failures of all time. But who cares if it succeeds in its target of bringing in around 25 million stg in tourism revenues from 2012?
3. Ignore the Lonely Planet
By now we should have moved past the days of lapping up every word of pseudo-authoritative travel writers who are too cool go anywhere where they might bump into fellow tourists. So when the professionally spiky Lonely Planet labels Temple Bar as “Temple Barf”, we shouldn’t do too much soul-searching about it. We should plan another festival of drinking. If you want feedback from tourists, scan the reviews on Tripadvisor.
4. Give the language schools a marketing boost
Language learning generates an estimated €500 million a year in tourism and related spending revenues, according to a report by Indecon economic consultants. They may mostly be poor students, but they stay here for longer than the average tourist, plus the sector generates positive feedback of Ireland in the Asian countries on which we will be depending for our future prosperity.
5. Pretend to be part of the UK…
… but only for the Olympics. We’ve already got the Australian swimmers planning to train at Dublin’s National Aquatic Centre, what about some Kiwi shot-putters? Canadian cyclists? After London 2012, we can go back to promoting the Emerald Isle and implying that our scenery is magically and immeasurably superior to theirs.
