Dublin should be sold as 'separate destination'

DUBLIN SHOULD be promoted as a travel destination separate from Ireland, the former head of Dublin Tourism has said.

Frank Magee, who retired as chief executive three months ago after 21 years in the job, said Dublin accounted for half of all visitors to Ireland but only received a “minuscule” portion of the marketing budget.

He believed Dublin had the potential to be a city destination similar to Barcelona or Rome.

Mr Magee said he was not criticising Tourism Ireland, which has an all-Ireland brief, but there needed to be a renewed emphasis on promoting Dublin, which was doing well in terms of visitor numbers even while the rest of the country was doing badly.

Mr Magee said he was constrained from speaking out about the direction of Irish tourism while in the job, but could do so now.

He said the only thing unique about Ireland was its people: the quality that endears Ireland to foreign visitors is a “friendliness that comes from inquisitiveness and a nosiness”. This, he believed, was not reflected in the marketing of the country. There were too many UK-based advertising agencies involved in putting together marketing campaigns for Ireland.

“They don’t have the psyche, they cannot have,” he said.

In response, Tourism Ireland chief executive Niall Gibbons said it was investing €1.7 million in promoting Dublin in key overseas markets.