Article
Ireland already punches above its weight
Paul Gallagher
31/07/06: Ireland already punches above its weight as a tourist destination, particularly where golf is concerned, because it not only possesses over one third of all the links courses in the world but there are over 420 courses in all to choose from.
In 2004 Ireland beat stiff competition to be voted the Best Golf Destination in the World by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IACTO).
The number of overseas visitors to Ireland since the new millennium (6.3million in 2000) has steadily grown each year - with the exception of 2001 and the impact of 9/11 – and is expected to exceed seven million in 2006. This is no accident as the Government through Failte Ireland has been pro-actively promoting Ireland for years all over the world.
According to figures released by the CSO the tourism industry in 2005 accounted for 3.7 per cent of GNP, with foreign exchange earnings of €4.3billion and rising to €5.3billion when including domestic trips.
Damian Ryan, Director of Golf at Failte Ireland, illustrates the increasing popularity of golf with visitors coming to Ireland.. "Nine years ago we had 58,000 visitors coming to Ireland to play golf. Compare that to 2004 when we had 240,000 visitors and you soon see the upward curve we are on. In this the Ryder Cup year we expect to exceed our target of 300,000 visitors."
The Sports Tourism Programme is in its sixth years and continues to invest heavily in promoting 24 events on the calendar. Last year a budget of €4.8million helped promote events such as the long-standing Smurfit European Open, the Nissan Irish Open plus other major sporting events such as the Dublin Horse Show and Rally Ireland.
In terms of green fee rates the Palmer Course at the K-Club, where the Ryder Cup will be played, increased by 40 per cent this year from €250 a round to €350. The €250 rate had previously been on a par with Old Head in Kinsale as the two most expensive courses to play in Ireland.
Other prestige courses in Ireland hold rates that come in under €200. PGA National at Palmerstown House has a flat rate of €175 or Mount Juliet, which hosted the Amex World Golf Championship on two occasions, is €155, while Druids Glen, home of the Irish Open for four years, is €160. However, there are many other high quality courses - links or parkland - to choose from that cost a fraction of what it does to play Ireland's top bracket courses.
CSO figures for 2005 revealed that visitor satisfaction levels remained high, 96 per cent said their holiday either exceeded or matched their expectations. High on the list of reasons for choosing Ireland were; beautiful scenery, friendly people or natural, unspoilt environment. However, value for money when eating and drinking out was still an aspect which came in for most criticism by visitors.