Rural tourism falling behind despite visitor boom

Firmly establishing itself in the lexicon of Irish tourism is a phrase which has many in the industry forecasting future summers of discontent. "The east-west imbalance" now ranks up there with "unprecedented visitor figures" and "high yield holidaymakers" in debates on our booming tourism industry.

According to Mr Michael Rosney, owner of Killeen House in Killarney, Dublin and its environs has become an increasingly "sexy" holiday destination to the detriment of the traditional tourism hotspots of rural Ireland. "In overall numerical terms there hasn't been a decline but there is an unequal distribution of tourists. The numbers coming into the island are growing," he says, "but the feeling on the ground is that rural areas are not seeing the benefits of this increase."

Recent statistics bear out this glum analysis. Of the just over five million overseas visitors to the State last year, more than half (2,586,000) visited Dublin. The remainder were scattered around the various regions, with areas such as the North West and the Midlands coming out on the lower end of the scale.

Industry sources cite inadequate access into rural areas, the huge increase in the number of hotel beds and the tax-driven development of hotels in Dublin as the key factors influencing the growing concentration of visitors on the east coast.

The disappointing weather this year has resulted in a decline in the domestic market, with more people choosing sun holidays abroad instead of their usual trips around Ireland. The World Cup also had a negative impact on the season. Mr Niall Killilea, tourism and trade officer of the Galway Chamber of Commerce, says that general soundings from the tourism industry suggest that the season has been poor, especially outside Galway City. "This seems to stem mainly from the poor weather over the last few months with a minority of sources suggesting the increase in the number of beds in the area may have also affected matters. Smaller business heavily reliant on tourism revenue will be greatly affected," he says.

The decrease has got some hoteliers reflecting on the broader issues which affect their livelihoods. Mr Francis Brennan, of the Park Hotel in Kenmare, has reported a 4 per cent downturn for June. It is the first time the hotel has experienced such a decrease.

According to Mr Brennan, many hoteliers in Dublin are availing of tax schemes which means their overheads are considerably lower than their rural counterparts. The hotel sector in general has grown with around 4,500 new rooms this year. Much of this development is occurring in Dublin and other urban centres, a factor which has been blamed for occupancy rates in some rural areas going down.

"It puts us at a very obvious disadvantage," says Brennan. "If we were pig-farmers we would be getting grants." In addition to the noticeable expansion in the sector, many of those concerned with the so-called east-west imbalance see access as a crucial issue. The current figures for the country's three main airports indicate that there is a dynamic at work in favour of Dublin.

This year has seen Dublin Airport increase its market share by about 26 per cent, while Shannon has seen an overall decrease of around 20 per cent. Labour TD Ms Jan O'Sullivan spoke last week about the fact that Shannon was underutilised. "The Government should initiate an access policy for the regional airports to ensure that the growth in traffic in and out of Ireland was more evenly spread," she said.

Referring to the fact that 90 per cent of the flight capacity from Europe flies to Dublin, she said that the airport was struggling to keep up with demand. "At the same time there is abundant capacity at Shannon that is not being used."

Mr Charles Sinnott, the owner of Brooks Hotel in Dublin and the Connemara Gateway and Coast Hotels in Co Galway, is well placed to comment on the east-west divide.

"It is clear that there is a strengthening bias towards urban-based tourism which is affecting rurally-based products. "In a year of modest growth the smaller operators are bound to feel the pinch," he says.

In terms of access, he feels there is a need to improve the roads serving rural areas. "The number of registered cars on the road has increased but the investment in our roads hasn't reflected that," he says.

A recent report by the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation (ITIC) echoed the views of those concerned about access to the regions. It said that the increasing level of east coast concentration needed to be balanced by the introduction of measures to improve access to the regions. This would, the report said, "aid tourism flows, ensure that the regions become stronger tourism centres and allow Ireland to maximise its tourist returns." However, the imbalance is not a new phenomenon and Dublin has always been tops of the tourist charts, said a spokesman for Bord Failte. "Dublin has two ports and the major international airport, so naturally it is a hub for travel by boat or plane. Dublin has a natural advantage," he says. This would not necessarily take from hoteliers in other areas, he maintains, as 33 per cent of all bed nights last year were spent staying with friends and relatives. With a third of the population in the Dublin area, this accounts for the accommodation of a significant number of visitors.

The Minister for Tourism, Dr Jim McDaid, has announced an £8.5 million plan to improve the regional spread of tourism. "At the end of the day though," says the Bord Failte spokesman, "it is not easy to tell those engaged in city hopping, whether it is Paris or Dublin, that they should visit Donegal town. "It is a tricky business to see that all regions get a fair crack of the whip," he adds.

Meanwhile, "from Donegal town down to Kerry the regions are suffering from a severe imbalance," says Ms Kathleen O'Regan-Shepherd, owner of Kathleen's Country House near Killarney and a member of the council of the Irish Hotels Federation. As far as Michael Rosney of Killeen House is concerned, the Government needs to stop treating tourism as a Cinderella industry. "The Government has to address in a meaningful way the problems facing rural tourism," he says.