The Irish tourist industry must launch a significant marketing drive to attract customers to the country or face losing an estimated 10,000 jobs, according to the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation (ITIC).
The organisation will submit proposals to the Minister for Tourism and Sport, Mr McDaid, next month seeking support for a new marketing drive aimed at boosting tourism from markets with close proximity to Ireland.
Mr McDaid is expected to announce tourist figures for Ireland fell to below 6 million for the year 2001 - a fall of around eight per cent.
Mr Tony Kelly, chairman of ITIC, said a campaign launched after the foot-and-mouth outbreak had been a success and that a similar campaign was now required. He recently called on the Government to provide £2 million in funding to assist in the marketing drive.
"Extra marketing now will give us a real opportunity to cushion the anticipated loss by getting extra business from specific markets. It will also ensure that Ireland as a destination has a presence in these markets until the Tourism Ireland Ltd campaigns for 2002 kick in at the end of the year," he said.
"We are not looking for free money. The £2 million is specifically sought to expand the impact of the investment which tourism enterprises are prepared to make," he added.
Mr Brendan Leahy chief executive of ITIC told RTE radio today that the foot-and-mouth outbreak, the September 11th attacks on the US and the fall off in global spending had caused a drop of between eight and ten per cent in tourist trade.
He said this represents a fall of around £230 million on last year. "That level of drop represents an estimated loss of about 10,000 jobs," he warned.