Those suffering in the tourism industry want more money spent on marketing, writes Alison Healy
In June tourism business operator Mr Tony Sweeny warned in this newspaper that the tourism situation was much worse than people were willing to admit.
Mr Sweeny, who has been running his Corporate and Heritage Coaster business in Wicklow for 22 years, said yesterday it gave him no pleasure to see that his theory had been borne out.
In August, his turnover was hugely down on the same month last year.
He has seen fellow craft workers leave the business in recent months while others have sought part-time jobs to scrape a living. "The stress levels are enormous," he said.
Where Americans would spent €300 or €400 in craft outlets before, they were just buying a few postcards and trinkets now, he said.
"I've stood in shops in the middle of Dublin where only two people would call in three hours. Before, these shops would have been thronged with American coach loads."
Craft shops in traditional tourist areas such as Killarney and west Cork greatly reduced their orders from craft workers this year, he said.
Mr Sweeny said the Government, the airlines and the hotels should come together and offer special deals to attract visitors to this island.
He also urged that some craft workers be subsidised to attend "Showcase" - the annual event which brings together craft workers and buyers. It could cost about €2,000 to travel to Dublin and set up a stand at the event, he said.
Craft workers had now accepted that this year was written off, he said. "And it is my firm belief that it will take several years for Irish tourism to recover, assuming there is no Iraqi war."
Tour operators would like to see more money being provided for promotion, according to Mr Alan Glynn, chief executive of the Incoming Tour Operators' Association.
"It's as simple as that," he said. "We have to keep Ireland in the public eye. We cannot pull back from markets because they are soft now. Other countries are promoting themselves in those markets and when things pick up, their names will be remembered."
He rejected criticism that Ireland was over-priced. "Ireland is not a cheap destination, it never has been but it is a quality destination. I don't think price is the main issue for people coming here."
He said he heard some examples of very bad value for money but similar reports could be found all over the world.
Mr Charlie Sinnott of the Sinnott hotel group also called for more marketing funds.
"When the going gets very tough, as it has, competing destinations have put very substantial funds into marketing," he said. "They have much greater funds than we have."
He said it was also important to reduce a growing reliance on the home market, especially with such poor economic forecasts.
The retention of the Shannon stopover is crucial to protecting tourism industry in the south-west, according to Mr Tom Kane, owner of Adare Manor in Limerick.
He said this was the single biggest factor for businesses in the region. Adare Manor receives 30,000 visitors every year and up to half of these come from the US or Canada.
"Americans are people of convenience," he said. They want to get on a flight and arrive close to their final destination.
"The importance of this stopover has never been realised in Dublin," Mr Kane said. "Instead, they are killing it with a thousand cuts."
Ireland was no longer seen as an inexpensive place to visit, and this was being fuelled by wage demands from the public sector, he said.
Mr Kane called on the Government to take a strong stand on inflation when framing the successor to the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness.
"But it's almost too late. I think 2003 will be a tough year." Adare Manor has decided to retain its rates for next year.
The hotel is not alone, according to Ms Fiona O'Sullivan, who runs Custom Ireland, which provides custom-made holidays for tourists.
She has found that several hotels have held their rates, if not reduced them, for the 2003 season.
The introduction of the euro had shown that customers were not always receiving good value for money, she said.
Some clients had expressed surprise at the cost of coffee, drinks or food in this State.
"Americans who have travelled can clearly see the difference now," she said.
Tourism operators would have to take the long-term view if the industry was to thrive.
The B&B sector was one of the few sectors to emerge fairly unscathed this season, according to Ms Fiona Byrne, chairwoman of Town and County Homes, which represents 1,700 B&B owners.
With an average overnight price of €25, she said the sector may have been insulated from the loss in custom experienced by more expensive accommodation providers.
But if this State gets a reputation for being expensive "we will all be hit," she said.
"The tourists won't get as far as our members to find out that it's not true."