Limerick tourism needs integrated partnership support involving the public and the private sector because 66 per cent of Irish people have a negative image of the city, according to a report produced at the University of Limerick by the National Centre for Tourism Policy Studies.
Results from the three-year study and survey of samples taken from 800 tourists and domestic visitors were announced to Limerick Chamber of Commerce yesterday by the author, Ms Maureen Gleeson, a native of the Silvermines, Co Tipperary. Ms Gleeson said that despite significant developments in recent years most tourists picked up bad "vibes" about Limerick from the Irish people they met; yet very few of these people had visited the city in recent years.
She added: "It is imperative that Limerick sends out a very positive and realistic brand image to the Irish public which can help to overcome this poor image which will eventually filter through to the mobile international visitor."
Ms Gleeson said that when other Irish people arrived in Limerick they were generally surprised at how much the city had changed for the better in the last 10 years. Although crime figures were now lower per capita than in other leading cities, she found it hard to change an image which had been built up over time.
She said: "Those charged with the promotion of Limerick must instigate a co-ordinated marketing strategy and campaign to convince all users of the urban tourism product that the city is more exciting than it appears. The media and all sources contributing to Limerick's negative image must be updated and informed as to the changing face of the city."
She said that one of the problems was that Limerick was marketed and promoted on a small and fragmented scale, and a product theme was not readily apparent. "While Limerick is promoted as a constituent proponent of the mid-western regional product, it does not have a distinct identity as an entity in itself."
Copies of the 250-page report were handed over to Shannon Development, Limerick Corporation, Limerick County Council and the chamber of commerce.