HAVE A STAYCATION AND SUPPORT IRISH JOBS But the Midlands needs more marketing to benefit from tourism boom. As the busy August bank holiday gets underway, Senator John Whelan has urged people to stay at home this year for their annual vacation and support Irish jobs. “The weather is good and value-for-money has never been better across a whole range of accommodation options, eating-out, festivals and events. Ireland has so much to offer, it is an incredible destination for visitors and Irish holiday makers alike. By holidaying at home this year, we can support Irish jobs in an array of hospitality, entertainment and catering areas. “According to the latest CSO figures the total number of trips to Ireland increased by 12.3% to 2,126,600 - an overall increase of 233,600 compared with figures from April to June 2013. “Trips by residents of Great Britain increased by 15.2% to 837,700 while trips by residents of North America to Ireland increased by 12.8% to 395,600. Trips by residents of European countries also increased by 9.3% to 770,600. The total number of trips to Ireland increased by 10.3% for the period January – June 2014 when compared with the same period in 2013. “2014 is also set to be another record year for tourism and I particularly welcome the strong increase in numbers from Great Britain and North America. The figures also showed growth from other areas, such as continental European countries like Germany, Spain and Italy. “However, there is a glaring weakness in the Failte Ireland marketing strategy which concentrates so much on Dublin and traditional destinations at the expense of areas like Laois, Offaly, Kildare and the midlands, which are not favoured by holiday makers and remain the poor relation when it comes to promotion. “The Wild Atlantic Way is a fabulous initiative but it wont butter any bread or create any jobs in the midlands. I will be taking this up with tourism chiefs and Minister Michael Ring to let them know that we require similar initiatives for areas like Laois and the Midlands, so that we are not again left out of the loop by national agencies. “For instance Laois has some amazing attractions such as Electric Picnic, the National Ploughing Championships, and this August bank holiday weekend the National Steam Rally in Stradbally marks its 50th anniversary. In addition, you have novel attractions such as the Durrow Scarecrow Festival; the walks of the idyllic Slieve Bloom Mountains; the splendour of Emo Court and Gardens and the magnificent expanse of inland waterways for angling and boating. While only an hour from Dublin, they largely remain undiscovered, under-valued and certainly not sufficiently promoted by Failte Ireland “This weeks figures reflect the optimism currently pervading the tourism industry but we cannot be complacent, we must continue to work to ensure that we keep a focus on those areas which we believe will further grow visitor numbers. The recently published Draft Tourism Policy aims to increase revenue from overseas tourism from €3.3 billion to €5 billion per year and create 50,000 new jobs by 2025. Interested parties now have a further opportunity to shape the future of Irish tourism policy by commenting on policy before it is finalised later this year. In this regard I will be working to ensure that Laois and the midlands are not over-looked in terms of strategic investment and marketing. “The tourism industry has the ability to reach parts of the country that other industries simply do not, therefore it is very well placed to deliver new jobs and support a rebalancing of regional prosperity. It provides employment in areas where many sectors can’t.”
Posted on: Sun, 03 Aug 2014 12:12:46 +0000