RENEWED PRIORITY ON AIR ACCESS NEEDED TO BOLSTER TOURISM
IHF Conference Hears
High optimism was expressed by delegates at the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) 67th Annual Conference in Cork today, that a priority will be placed on the swift renegotiation of the Ireland/US bi-lateral air agreement. The Federation is hopeful that negotiations can begin later this month to facilitate greater access into Ireland for US visitors. According to the IHF, the Government must also make good its promises regarding the development of a fast turnaround second terminal at Dublin Airport to cater for some of the 10 million visitors that State tourism agencies are targeting to bring to Ireland by 2012.
In 2004, 976,000 visitors or 15% of all overseas visitors to Ireland came from North America, however with a greater number of direct routes from the US, the Federation estimates that number could grow by 50% to 1.5 million over the next 5 years.
Speaking at the IHF conference, John Power, Chief Executive stated, "The reality for Ireland is that we utterly depend on air and sea access to attract visitors here, and we know that the ease of access to our country is a key factor in US visitors, in particular, deciding to come here. With the international tourism market becoming as competitive as it is, and the availability of increased low cost access to competing destinations, Ireland cannot afford to become complacent. If we want to increase the number of visitors coming to Ireland, then we need to make it as easy as possible for them to get here, otherwise theyll simply holiday elsewhere."
Mr Power also supported the view put forward in a recently published Chambers of Commerce of Ireland report, which suggests that Ireland's economic growth could increase by 10% if the EU/US Open Air Aviation Agreement is implemented.
"American holidaymakers tend to spend longer in Ireland than any other nationality. They also tour more extensively to different parts of the country when they are here, and they spend more, for example, the average US visitor spends 900 in the country, compared to less than 500 for all other overseas visitors. The US market is vitally important to us, so lets make it easier for American visitors to get here," he said.
He also urged the Government to place a priority on the development of a second fast turnaround terminal at Dublin Airport.
"Some 17.1 million passengers passed through Dublin Airport in 2004, representing an increase of over 3 million passengers since 2000. Yet just one terminal has had to cope with the burden of processing all of those passengers. We need to ensure that we have the infrastructure to cater for the growing number of visitors that we want to attract. The cad mle filte, green landscape, and craic that are now synonymous with Irelands tourism product are all well and good, but a second terminal at Dublin airport is key to ensuring that visitors get their holiday in Ireland off to a good start," Mr Power said.
The Federation stated that with the level of interest from the private sector in funding such a project, there is no excuse for the Government to delay any further on this issue. "I cannot fathom why the Department of Transport has not yet presented concrete plans for the expansion of Dublin Airport. Minister John ODonoghue and his department are making every effort to assist the growth of the tourism sector, but unless other government departments acknowledge that they have a role to play, its a classic case of the right arm not knowing what the left arm is doing. This lack of partnership and synergy at Government level certainly doesnt bode well for the growth of the tourism sector," Mr Power concluded.
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