There has been a two-thirds drop in the number of British visitors participating in active outdoor pursuits such as hillwalking, golf,fishing and cycling between 1999-2004, a rural development expert has said.
Gary Prosser of the Tipperary Institute said that the change in the pattern of British visitors has presented a major challenge to rural tourism which can only be addressed by increased market research and promotion.
He said that despite the increase in overseas visitors, which should be good news for rural and regional locations, the reality was different.
Traditionally, the majority of tourists here have come from Britain, accounting for 55 per cent of overseas visitors last year.
"Fundamental and rapid changes in the British travel market pose significant challenges for many Irish tourism operators, and for those industry and Government bodies responsible for destination management and marketing," he said.
"Since 1998 the number of British visitors to Ireland has increased by 13 per cent. However, this is cold comfort for tourism operators in rural locations.
"Not only has the number of bed-nights spent in Ireland by tourists from Britain declined by 11 per cent over this period, but a higher proportion of these nights are now spent in Dublin," he wrote in the current edition of Rural Development Review.
He said that in the five-year period to 2005, the volume of nights spent in bed and breakfast establishments by visitors from Britain declined by 37 per cent, and the caravan and camping sector experienced a decline of 61 per cent in expenditure by British visitors.
He added that numbers travelling by sea declined by 38 per cent while the number travelling by air increased by 40 per cent.
"As the number of visitors crossing by ferry has declined, so the proportion of holidaymakers travelling with their own cars has declined, from 47 per cent in 1999 to 33 per cent in 2003," the report said.
"Consequently, travel patterns within Ireland have changed. Instead of bringing their car on the ferry and taking an extended break to explore the Irish countryside and the activities it has to offer, an increasing proportion of British visitors now catch a cheap flight to Dublin for a short break," Mr Prosser added.
He said these changes had been rapid and were driven by a combination of tourism-related and external factors.
The growth in low-cost airlines, international demand for more and shorter breaks, and new competitive destinations in eastern Europe had contributed to changing consumer demand.
"Effective responses to these changes will require . . . targeted research based marketing campaigns," he concluded.