Report says Dublin losing out to other cities

DUBLIN COULD attract an additional two million visitors and generate 27,000 jobs by 2020 if the city is properly marketed, a new study has suggested.

The Irish Tourist Industry Confederation (Itic), the body that represents the tourism industry, maintains that the €15 million spent on marketing the city is not well focused and that Dublin has lost market share in recent years to other cities.

It says the absence of new flagship visitor attractions in recent years has seen the city lagging equivalent cities in Europe such as Vienna and Copenhagen, which have been more skilled at attracting visitors.

Instead of just marketing the city centre, the region including the four local authority areas and adjoining counties should be included, the Itic has proposed.

The report, Capitalising on Dublin’s Potential, recommends a “destination marketing alliance” for the city that would allow all agencies to focus on the same message.

Dublin is expected to attract four million visitors this year, down from a peak of 4.5 million in 2007. The Itic believes visitor numbers to the city can grow by 6.2 per cent a year between now and 2020, twice the projected European tourism growth of 3.1 per cent per annum.

It proposes Dublin’s compact nature, its proximity to the sea and mountains, its rich cultural history, particularly in literature, and the friendly Irish welcome should be stressed in marketing.

Outstanding natural attractions in proximity to the city such as Dublin Bay and the Dublin mountains should be highlighted.

The report also says there is a lack of joined-up thinking among those involved in Dublin tourism.

Report chairman Maurice Pratt said the €15 million budget for marketing Dublin was sufficient, but those who could potentially benefit from it did not know where or how it was being spent. He warned that there was a “price for doing nothing, which was loss of market share”.

Report author Peter McNulty said Dublin could not afford not to implement an improved marketing strategy, as competing cities were ahead of Dublin in terms of promotion and would seek to continue being ahead.

“We will only move up the table if we over-achieve compared to our competitors,” he said.

He maintained Dublin had the potential, despite its geographical location, to be in the top-10 city destinations in Europe excluding the big three of London, Paris and Rome, which are far ahead of all other European cities.

Fáilte Ireland, which took over the marketing of the capital from Dublin Tourism, welcomed the report and described the city as the “strategic cockpit for Irish tourism”. It had recently launched the Dublin heritage trail and had invested €5.5 million in the development of Meeting House Square, the Book of Kells exhibition and the Dublinia attraction.

Meanwhile, BB Ireland, the body that represents bed and breakfasts, has launched a new website to cater for walkers and hikers.

The site, walking.bandbireland. com, has details of Ireland's top walks, reviews from walking and hiking enthusiasts, a blog and a list of specialist walking BBs.