Visitor numbers up almost 10% in the first eight months of year but Govt intent on doing more
Speaking this evening (Wednesday) at the ‘Flavours of Ireland’ workshop and networking dinner in London, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe TD, said that while the increase in the number of visitors to Ireland has been excellent this year, we must continue to strive to ensure that Ireland remains an attractive, year round, tourism destination (see full speech below).
More than 100 UK inbound tour operators from long-haul destinations, such as China, joined 60 tourism businesses from Ireland at the workshop which took place today and which will focus on growing Ireland’s share of the worldwide tourism market.
“’Flavours of Ireland’ is about looking to the future and figuring out the ways we might work with others to accelerate the tourism growth that is so central to our recovery. Overseas visitors contribute almost €4 billion a year to the Irish economy and help to sustain 200,000 jobs. Government initiatives on the air travel tax and on visas have been instrumental in helping our industry to address issues of competitiveness and make it easier for people to come to Ireland. They have also made it easier for those from some of the fastest growing markets, like China and India, to include Ireland on their travel plans.
“In our attempts to encourage visits from these growing markets, work has been on-going between the Irish Department of Justice and Equality and the UK Home Office on the development of a new British Irish Visa Scheme. This will make it easier and less expensive for visitors from a range of developing markets to visit both destinations. I understand that a formal announcement in this regard will be made very shortly.
“The scheme, is based on mutual recognition of each other’s visas by Ireland and the UK, will be an historic breakthrough between the two jurisdiction. It will build on the success of the Irish Short-stay Visa Waiver Programme, which was launched by the Government in July 2011, and has led to significant increases in visits from the countries covered by the Programme.
“The tourism industry has played a leading role in our recovery. Building on the success we have seen in recent years from markets such as the UK and the US, while identifying the potential that exists in others, is key to sustaining the progress we have made to date. Events such as ‘Flavours of Ireland’ are central to those efforts.”
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Speech by Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe TD, to Tourism Ireland ‘Flavours of Ireland’ workshop and networking dinner, London, Wednesday, 1 October, 2014
I am delighted to be here with you this evening at this great annual event. I’m told that ‘Flavours of Ireland’ has become a key date in the promotional calendar. I would like to join with Niall [Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland] in welcoming you all. It is great to see so many UK inbound operators and Irish tourism suppliers here this evening, to sample the atmosphere and to witness the business actually being done.
The workshop which took place today is all about looking out into the future at ways we might work together to accelerate that growth and boost our mutual business from this important market.
Overseas tourism is enormously important for Ireland. Overseas visitors contribute almost €4 billion a year to the Irish economy and help to sustain 200,000 jobs. As I was out and about over the summer, meeting with tourism suppliers and sampling our wonderful tourism experience, I saw at first hand the impact of this year’s strong tourism performance – with lots of British and other visitors in evidence – happily, I can say, all having a good time.
The Irish Government is fully committed to tourism as a driver of economic recovery. We have continued to invest in tourism development and marketing, during the difficult period after we took office, as well as the more positive recent environment. The Government’s decision to introduce the 9% VAT rate for the tourism industry has been an important factor in the increase in the numbers employed in the sector and, I believe, that initiative has helped to deliver a marked improvement in value in recent years and has played a huge part in changing visitor perceptions of the value for money on offer in Ireland – particularly here in Great Britain. This improved value perception has, in turn, helped to drive the increases in overseas tourist numbers we are enjoying once more.
Government initiatives on the air travel tax and on visas have also helped our industry to address issues of competitiveness and have made it easier for tourists from some of the fastest growing markets like China and India – to include Ireland on their travel plans.
As an island, convenient, competitive direct access services are vital for the continued growth of our tourism industry. We have excellent ferry connectivity between our two islands. Improvements in air access have been supported by our aviation policy. Shannon Airport, for example, is forecasting overall passenger growth this year of over +10%.
I hope that all of these achievements demonstrate the Government’s continued commitment to tourism development and marketing, and show that, even in tough times, real progress can be made.
The success of The Gathering last year has also helped boost tourism by reconnecting Ireland with the tens of millions of people across the world who claim ancestral links.
We have continued investment in new holiday experiences such as the Wild Atlantic Way – 2,500 km of most captivating coastal driving route in the world, stretching from the Inishowen Peninsula in Donegal to Kinsale in County Cork. The route offers visitors an opportunity to truly discover the magnificent west coast and to connect with friendly, welcoming people in towns and villages along the route and to experience our heritage and culture and enjoy our great, locally grown fresh food. The Wild Atlantic Way is already proving very successful in attracting significant numbers of visitors from overseas.
We have great plans to enhance the Dublin and the South-East holiday experiences, building on the strengths that are already present in these regions. All of this will help us to maintain our tourism growth momentum well into the future.
As you all know, Great Britain is Ireland’s largest single tourism market and, in many ways, it continues to be the mainstay of our tourism industry.
Almost 3 million Britons visit Ireland every year and I’m delighted to say that British visitor numbers are growing again after a number of difficult years. Over the last couple of years, Tourism Ireland and tourism industry partners rolled out the ‘GB Path to Growth’ strategy. This new segmentation approach has brought an even stronger focus to our operations in Great Britain since it was first implemented. Tourism Ireland has now applied a similar segmentation model in the United States, Germany and France and is in the process of rolling it out across all other relevant markets.
Building on the very positive performance in 2013, which saw 6% growth in GB visitors to Ireland, recent figures from our Central Statistics Office confirm that British visitors are up almost 9% in the first eight months of 2014.
There is every indication that growth will continue into the shoulder season. In fact, I had the pleasure recently of launching Tourism Ireland’s €11 million autumn marketing campaign which is designed to boost travel from across the world to the end of the year.
A highlight for next year is designation of 2015 as the ‘Year of Irish Design’, an exciting showcase of the best of Irish design both at home and overseas. This special year will help us to raise the profile of Irish design and designers and to show how they reflect our unique culture, enhance the quality of our lives and help to give us ‘stand-out’ on the world stage.
Great Britain also looks like having a record year. I’m told the first half of 2014 was the strongest ever with over 16.4 million inbound visitors, an increase of 8% over last year. I know that many of the inbound operators here this evening have contributed significantly to tourism growth to for both Ireland and Britain. I want to thank you, on behalf of the Irish Government and Tourism Ireland, for your on-going commitment to Ireland. I hope you will encourage some of the millions of holidaymakers you bring here to Great Britain, to also include a visit to Ireland on their tour.
To that end, you may be aware that work is nearing completion between the Irish Department of Justice and Equality and the UK Home Office on the development of a new British Irish Visa Scheme, which will make it easier and less expensive for visitors from a range of developing markets to visit both destinations. I understand that a formal announcement in this regard will be made very shortly.
The scheme, based on mutual recognition of each other’s visas by Ireland and the UK, will be an historic breakthrough between the two jurisdictions and will be piloted in the key growth tourist and business markets of China and India.
The scheme will build on the success of the Irish Short-stay Visa Waiver Programme which was launched by the Government in July 2011, and has led to significant increases in visits from the countries covered by the Programme. It hoped that the new systems will be rolled out worldwide over the next two years and will, over that time, supersede the Short-stay Visa Waiver Programme.
Tourism Ireland is working more closely than ever with VisitBritain to promote Ireland and Britain together in long-haul and other markets where it makes commercial sense to do so. The two agencies concluded a special agreement or ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ in March of this year, to cement their long-standing relationship and support increased collaboration in long-haul and other markets where it is appropriate to jointly promote Great Britain and the island of Ireland. This approach will greatly increase the appeal of both destinations and visitors will be able to visit both jurisdictions easily as part of the same holiday. It will also help Tourism Ireland and VisitBritain to leverage economies in their marketing budgets.
I am delighted to say that when VisitBritain launches its new flagship workshop – Explore GB – in Ascot next February, Tourism Ireland will be participating with a strong island of Ireland delegation at the event.
So, Britain is performing well for Ireland and the signs are generally positive for future growth. On behalf of the Government and on behalf of Tourism Ireland, I would like to thank all of you who had a hand in delivering that strong performance. We greatly appreciate your support.
I hope you’ve had a very successful workshop and I wish you all continued success for the rest of 2014 and into the future.
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