Dublin seen as ‘dusty and dull’ by tourists, report says

Dublin is regarded abroad as “dusty and dull, with little of interest to see or do”, a new report on the future of tourism in the city has concluded.

Knowledge of Dublin among overseas tourists is limited and more needs to be done to promote the city abroad, it finds.

There is a "low level of awareness of what the city has to offer" according to the report, commissioned by Fáilte Ireland and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.

The report concluded that Dublin "is often seen as part of a generic, blended image of Ireland as a whole in some markets. It is seen as one-dimensional or offering less variety and excitement than is actually the case."

Destination Dublin - A Collective Strategy for Tourism Growth to 2020 is frank in its assessment of the city’s shortcomings as a tourism destination.

It says that Dublin’s failure to reinvent itself as a city destination has seen it slip behind competitors such as Amsterdam, Edinburgh and Copenhagen, who have recorded steady growth even in the international recession.

If nothing is done, the number of visitors to Dublin will grow by an average of 2.2 per cent per year with a 1 per cent increase in revenues.

Game changer

However, if a new strategy is put together to promote the city, it would be a “game changer” which would double the number of visitors to the city to 6.2 million by 2020, with a doubling of tourism revenue to €2.5 billion, the report states.

The need for recommendations to improve tourism growth grew out of the Grow Dublin Taskforce set up in 2012 to examine ways in which the city can increase its market share.

The report concludes that the city needs a “clear, contemporary destination brand”, but to achieve that, all those involved in Dublin tourism have to work better together.

Fáilte Ireland chief executive Shaun Quinn said he hoped the report will act as a “timely wake-up call to our capital”.

“As a tourism destination, it is in danger of standing still and its brand is becoming a bit stale.”

The Grow Dublin Tourism Alliance will be led by the chairman of Bord Bia, Michael Carey. Mr Carey is a founder of the food group Jacob Fruitfield, and an entrepreneur in the food sector.

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Paschal Donohoe said he appointed Mr Carey because he is an "exceptionally successful businessman" who understood marketing, advertising and solving complex problems.

Mr Carey said the city needed to have the “clarity of a proposition that really means something to visitors. We need to get this right”.

The other issue will be getting the right mix of public and private funding, he said.

He stressed that the strategy necessary was not just about marketing or rebranding and that Dublin needed more visitor attractions. “We need more interesting things and we need to communicate [Dublin] in a better way.”