Tuesday, 8th March 2011

URGENT CO-ORDINATED ACTION REQUIRED TO REBUILD ‘BRAND IRELAND’
Unique opportunity to strengthen Ireland’s international visibility

The Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) today called for the new government to swiftly instigate a new strategy to promote ‘Brand Ireland’ and repair the damage caused to the country’s reputation internationally following the economic and political events of the last two years. Addressing over 400 hotel and guesthouse owners at the IHF’s annual conference, IHF President Paul Gallagher said a new Government offered Ireland an opportunity to communicate a new image abroad as a vibrant and attractive destination offering exceptional value and a welcoming people. He states that the global focus on Ireland in the run up to St Patrick’s Day offers a unique opportunity to highlight the wealth of positive selling points Ireland has going for it.

Mr Gallagher states that, according to an IHF survey of members’ direct customer experiences, 70 percent thought that Ireland’s image as a tourist destination had been damaged by events of the last two years.  He says that a new strategic plan is urgently required to reposition Ireland to tourists and overseas companies if Ireland is to attract greater numbers of overseas visitors and increased foreign direct investment.

“It’s now time to draw a line under the negativity of the last two years with a coordinated and sustained programme to repair the damage caused to our image. This should start with members of the incoming Government, who represent a fresh beginning, and should be leveraged along with high profile cultural ambassadors to re-energise Brand Ireland. With St Patrick’s Day fast approaching, there’s no better time to hit the ground running and fully leverage international promotional activities planned for March 17th.”

Mr Gallagher states that ministerial and diplomatic efforts that take place to celebrate St Patrick’s Day provide a tremendous opportunity to generate positive awareness for Ireland around business and tourism. He says, “Many countries would bite Ireland’s hand off for the global TV exposure achieved and the high levels of contact with US and international policy makers that St Patrick’s Day gives us. For a country of Ireland’s size we have a unique opportunity to punch above our weight on the international stage and we shouldn’t waste it.”

Commenting on the role that the tourism industry can play, Mr Gallagher states, “Irish people, domestically and internationally are our most valued asset. We are all ‘Brand Ireland’ ambassadors in our own way. This must be top of mind for workers across the hospitality sector who are the backbone of our tourism industry. Hotels and guesthouses can play an important role by motivating their staff to be brand ambassadors for Ireland. We would hope other sectors join us in helping to rebuild Ireland’s image.”

Mr Gallagher concludes that while Tourism Ireland has implemented creative campaigns to promote Ireland abroad, there is a need for more engaging campaigns that give people compelling reasons to visit our shores. He says, “The recent success of Tourism Ireland’s German campaign in particular is an excellent example of how effective these efforts can be. Our aspiration is that this success would be replicated across other core markets such as Britain, the US and France.”

IHF Proposals for Marketing Ireland Abroad:

1. Ireland needs a co-ordinated and sustained marketing effort over the coming 12 months leveraging newly elected members of Government, Ireland’s embassies abroad and high profile Irish personalities in the arts, sports, media and other life spheres to recover Ireland’s damaged reputation around the world.
2. A new ‘Brand Ireland’ identity for use by all state agencies and businesses abroad is recommended to provide a common promotional platform.
3. The recovery of the British market together with achieving greater penetration of the next top three source markets – USA, Germany and France – is essential if Irish tourism is to return to growth. This focus on gaining market share in the more productive markets needs to be reflected in a transparent re-allocation of resources, budgets and personnel as well as a fundamental re-appraisal of the effectiveness of the current marketing approach in each market.
4. Increased funding of tourism marketing for both Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland is required to achieve these objectives. The previous Government broadly maintained levels of marketing funding for tourism in Budget 2011. However, targeted tourism marketing is a lifeline for maintaining Ireland’s visibility as a destination both internationally and domestically. The key focus in 2011 is to reverse the collapse in visitor numbers from Britain and to re-establish our brand.
5. Unnecessary barriers to travellers need to be removed and a common visa area for Ireland and Britain introduced.
6. The next Government must maintain the ‘over 66 free rail travel scheme’ for overseas tourists travelling with Iarnród Éireann and remove the unnecessary requirement for a limited period trekker ticket.

FOR INFORMATION:
Eoin Quinn/Siobhan Molloy                         Tel: 01 6760168
Weber Shandwick                                           Mobile: 087 233 2191 / 086 817 5066

Irish Tourism – Top Line Facts

• 180,000 jobs in the tourism and hospitality sector or one in every 10 jobs in Ireland today.
• Potential to create over 20,000 jobs by 2015.
• Total tourism revenue for 2010 (overseas plus domestic) stood at €4.6 billion.
• Potential to generate €6.2 billion in annual revenue for the economy by 2015.
• Overseas visitor numbers have declined from 6.5 million in 2009 to 5.6 million in 2010. This represents a decline of 2.2 million compared with 7.7 million arrivals in 2007.
• The most serious market reversal has been from Britain, with 1.3 million fewer visitors in 2010 compared with 2007.
• Revenue from overseas visitors in 2010 is estimated to have dropped by about €600 million to €3.3 billion. This represents a drop of €1.6 billion since 2007, when €4.9 billion was earned.
• €1.3 billion in taxes was earned by Government from tourism annually, representing 3.7% of tax revenue.
• The average hotel room rate declined by 30 % since 2007 and is now at 1999 levels.
• It is estimated that the Irish tourism industry is made up of about 15,000 businesses, mostly micro, small and medium sized.