|
Innsight talks to Bob Whitley, President of the US Tour Operators Association, about the fall in the number of American tourists visiting Ireland and his predictions on the future of the Irish tourist industry. CERT’s Retain Initiative |
||
 Confidence among US travelers is returning and things should be back to normal certainly by 2004. Good news indeed for Ireland’s tourist sector which has seen visitor numbers from across the Atlantic slump in the past two years. The bearer of these tidings is a man called Bob Whitley who is in a good position to know what he’s talking about, as President of the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) he should have his finger on the pulse! The USTOA The USTOA is a national umbrella organisation for 58 different tour operators who between them operate 149 separate brands and annually move more than ten million Americans both domestically and internationally to a wide range of destinations, including Ireland. Their activities account for over eight billion dollars in sales. Whitley is confident the market is returning to normal "Travel into Ireland fell badly in 2001 because of Foot and Mouth and then September 11 and that slump has continued this year", he notes. However, he is confident that the trend is turning and that "2003 will see a recovery underway". By how much, he is not prepared to hazard a guess, but he is confident nonetheless that 2004 will see a return to former levels of visitor traffic. First, though, he’s prepared to admit that air access has to be righted, that the 21pc reduction in seats across the Atlantic has to be replaced. How this will happen he’s not saying, but he firmly believes that it will. "The industry depends on it ". Number one destination for Golf Whitley is hugely positive about Ireland as a destination for American travelers, noting how this market had enjoyed the best growth of any destination over the past 10 years. It is now number one destination for US golfers traveling abroad. |
Ireland’s Image He feels that Ireland’s image within the United States is good, and that it is being professionally promoted by Tourism Ireland (and Bord Fáilte before that), by the tour operators and by hotels in this country. "There’s a tremendous knowledge about Ireland being disseminated by TV and the print media in this country and Americans, as a result, know more about Ireland than they do about most other destinations abroad", he explains. And just to emphasise the power of the media, and especially TV, in the States he recalls how CNN’s portrayal of the Foot and Mouth crisis had done so much damage to the perception of what was going on here at the time. In terms of image, Whitley applauds the decision to create Tourism Ireland as an all-Ireland island promotional body "There was a lot of confusion when we had two bodies marketing what people viewed as one island", he remarks. "The Irish tourist people have always run one of the top offices over here. They may not have as much funds as some other country organizations, but what they have they spend more wisely", says Whitley. "This is a big country and you are not going to cover it all, so you’ve got to pick your targets well", he adds. "There’s nothing wrong with Ireland’s image once we get back to normal", he says. But he warns that there is "a tremendous amount of competition out there for the American travelers’ dollar as Americans tend to spend more than other tourists". Interestingly, he does not think litter and untidiness are a major problem in the eyes of American travelers even though they have emerged as concerns in surveys. Price too, while a concern, is not the big issue many people here fear it has become. As for the weather, it is not an issue even, says Whitley, for golfers who "simply see it as part of the atmosphere – the challenge". "The concern is simply that other destinations can beat Ireland on price", Whitley frankly states. "That means that the Irish industry is going to have to focus more on adding value to their product. |
This has become more important since September 11 and the proliferation of special promotions and packages etc". Added Value Whitley suggests the industry here should be thinking in terms of adding value through special offers such as upgrades, an extra free night, free car hire and so on. This country’s main selling points, in his view, are the people, their friendliness and the beauty of the countryside. "The culture, the villages, castles and the pubs are all part of the charm that is Ireland", he suggests. Opportunities For Growth The incentive travel market is there to be further exploited, he believes. And Whitley, a keen golfer and recent visitor to Royal County Down and Dunbeg, among other top courses, says that golfing in Ireland has got a lot of scope for growth. Bob Whitley has served the USTOA since 1978 when he was selected by the board of directors to head the national non-profit organisation. His association with USTOA is the latest in a distinguished career that spans more than 30 years in tourism in both private sector and government positions. Before joining USTOA, Whitley held positions as Director of the Florida Department of Tourism, Director of the Pennsylvania Department of Tourism and Director of the Virginia Beach Convention and Tourist Bureau. During his tenure at USTOA, the organisation has grown to become the leading association of its kind in the travel industry. Whitley is the recipient of numerous marketing awards for travel promotion, and has served on the Board of Directors of many travel industry associations. For the past seven consecutive years he was recognised by a leading trade magazine as one of the US travel industry’s 25 most influential executives, and was named in 1996, 1997 and 1999 as Person of the Year for Travel Industry Associations by Travel Agent Magazine. Among USTOA’s goals are consumer protection and education, maintaining high standards of professionalism within the tour operator industry and facilitating travel on a national and international level. |
The
Radisson SAS, Dublin was the venue for one of Dublin’s top
social charity events of the year – the Tiger Trust Garden
Party. The event proved an excellent success with over €15,000
raised for the Dublin Simon Community.
Pictured at the announcement by Hennessy
Cognac and The Sunday Tribune of the institution of the Hennessy
Literary Awards ‘Hall of Fame’, in association with
the Four Seasons Dublin, were John Pearson, Managing Director
of Edward Dillon; John Brennan, General Manager of the Four Seasons
Hotel; Jim Farrelly, Managing Director of the Sunday Tribune,
and Bernard Farrell.
Kevin
Thornton, the first Irish chef ever to win two Michelin stars,
has relocated Thornton’s Restaurant from Portobello to new
premises at the Fitzwilliam Hotel, Dublin.
Food and Fine Wine!
The
Regency Hotels group recently launched their new ‘Themed
Breaks Brochure’. The brochure features all types of breaks
including Champagne breaks, Murder Mystery Weekends and short
breaks to visit their London property ‘The Bonnington’.
Giving that little Bit Extra
Hugh
Jordan & Co Ltd.
Retail
Systems Technology Ltd