Ireland Attracts Fewer Tourists
Last Summer all those holiday destinations where they had the euro didn’t do quite as well as they expected. Because the pound was weak against it, we chose areas with different currencies that had not declined as much or where we felt we got better value for money. Turkey and Egypt spring to mind.
Ireland suffered despite a campaign last May/June to get us there. !5% fewer Brits went there last year and since 50% of tourists to Ireland come from the UK it is a vital market to them. Now that the pound has strengthened against the euro will we be more likely to visit Ireland again?
In March visitors by those living in the UK dropped by just over a fifth to just 212,000 visits. 40,000 fewer of us visited in just one month! Given that this will include visits made by people visiting friends and relatives, this could mask quite a drop. As the world pulls out of recession what could be the cause?
Is Ireland still seen as too expensive? Do Dublin citybreaks no longer appeal? Does Ireoland no longer appeal? Is it because fares by Ryanair, Aer Arann, British Airways and Aer Lingus are more expensive than previously? Is it due to a lack of or maybe less than effective advertising? The head of Tourism Ireland has said that it is due to the recession but aren’t people feeling more confident now? Other countries are fighting to persuade us to go there? Is the impact of Irish advertising being overtaken by that of other countries?
The numbers will look worse in April when the effects of airport closures due to the Icelandic volcanic eruption will be seen. So to still have a 20% decline before those effects are felt seems to warrant a lot of thinking. And the number of European travellers was down by about the same amount as well. Australians, Japanese and South Africans visited in greater numbers but then the numbers are small to start with. American visits were down just slightly. Ireland needs Britons to travel there. Have you considered going to Ireland this year and if not why? Now Tourism Ireland needs to find out and then remind us why it is such an attractive destination or it could be an uncomfortable year for tourism.
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Last year I travelled to Ireland three times. On each occasion
I had problems with cie buses at Cork Airport.
On the first occasion I booked my ticket from Cork to Glengarriff
on-line. When I presented the print out the driver refused to
accept it, and made me pay for another ticket to Cork City. He
was also rude, threatening and abusive, and even when he realised
he was wrong told me he was doing me a favour in issueing my
ticket, but refused to re-imburse me for the extra ticket. I
complained to CIE, but got no satisfaction.
On the second occasion because of my previous experience, I asked for a mid-week return Cork to Glengarriff on the bus. The driver told me
they were being phased out, and charged me a higher fare. When I
arrived at the bus station I checked, and found this was incorrect.
I asked for a refund, and was told I had to write to CIE. I did
this when I returned to London, and finally after about a month got
my rebate and no apology.
The third time I again asked on the bus for the same ticket, and
the driver issued me with an incorrect ticket. I didn’t realise
until I was returning from Glengarriff when the driver told me I
would have to pay again. I refused, and when we reached the bus
station in Cork I complained to the Bus Inspector, who wrote on
my ticket to allow me to travel to the Airport, and told me that
I should always look at my ticket. Again no apology for issueing
me with the wrong ticket.
If this is the reception that people travelling to Ireland
encounter the minute they leave the airport, can you really
be surprised that people don’t find Ireland very welcoming!
I cannot be the only person this has happened to. CIE need to
train thier bus drivers on how to issue tickets, and understand
what an on-line printout is, and not be abusive to visitors
arriving in the country.
Ann Sulllivan
Just back from a lovely holiday in ireland. Skipping from near Fermanagh, over the north coast to Carrick a reed, giants Causeway, Malin Head,To Donegal. Then down to Galway via beautiful Cliffden to Athenry. Down via Sligo to Cliffs of Moher, dissappointing about their new adult chin high barriers so you can barely see the view!! Spoilt a spectacular place!!! Down to Cork and then a whistle stop run back to Belfast for the ferry. I Highly Reccomend a trip to the Emerald isle and due to their drop in ecomony they need the tourists to help them out as they are the warmest hearted people ever!!!
We will be back!!!