Ireland not 'different' enough for UK visitors

SURVEY:MANY BRITISH tourists no longer regard Ireland as sufficiently different to merit holidaying here, research shows.

The loss of British visitors in the last five years is of serious concern to Irish tourism. UK tourists peaked in 2006 at 3.8m but in 2010 the figure was 2.5m. British visitors account for almost half of all tourists to Ireland and a recovery in this market is essential for the industry.

According to the research for Tourism Ireland, this country is “almost an extension of a home holiday” and, with the cost of flights and ferries rising, it is cheaper for British people to holiday in Britain.

The research also found that many tourists perceive Ireland to be poor value for money but this perception has declined in recent years. While in 2009 this was the view of nearly a third of UK visitors, now less than 20 per cent say Ireland offers poor value.

Tourism Ireland chief executive Niall Gibbons said its new British marketing campaign, which will be launched later this year, will “sufficiently differentiate” Ireland from Britain.

Gibbons says the focus will be on the perceived friendliness of the people, the scenery and the culture. “We need to accentuate the things that make us a different people,” he says.

The fall-off in the numbers of British visitors is the chief reason why the number of overseas visitors has declined since the start of the global economic crisis in 2008. This year has seen a turnaround with numbers up by 8.5 per cent and there is strong anecdotal evidence that Queen Elizabeth’s visit has had a positive impact.

Gibbons stresses that, as a result of the recession, the number of British visitors travelling abroad has declined to levels last seen 10 years ago and every market was “fishing in a smaller pool”.

Similar sentiments about Ireland were recently expressed at the Global Irish Economic Forum by London-based comedian Dara O’Briain. He said Irish people who lived in Britain were now regarded as no different to British people and Ireland was regarded as an extension of Britain. He recommended that something like the Imagine Ireland arts initiative in the US was needed to revitalise interest.