The strength of sterling against the Punt coupled
with signs of a lasting peace in Northern Ireland had tourism industry
chiefs hoping for one of the busiest years on record. This prediction
was further encouraged by what was described as a promising start earlier
this year. Significant numbers of tourists, many from Britain, arrived
earlier than usual and seemed to be a sign of a return to the days when
British tourists made up the majority of visitors to this country.
However as the season has progressed the earlier indications have not
held up and there seems to be a serious decline right across the various
sectors of the industry with hoteliers, bed and breakfast operators
and hostels all reporting a disappointing season so far. The number
of transatlantic visitors is well down and those in the industry say
this is mainly as a result of the decision to end the Shannon stopover.
"Aer Lingus will say that flight number so and so, departing New
York or Chicago or Boston, is a Shannon designated flight", said the
manager of a large hotel, "but in reality it is a Dublin flight
because the first stop is in Dublin and the passengers almost all alight
there, rather than sitting in the plane for up to an hour and a half
before the flight resumes to Shannon. Consequently, our Dublin counterparts
are reporting huge increases in business from the US, but here we are
only getting a trickle."
Hotel owners in the west are disappointed by the change in airline routes.
"Before, visitors arrived in Shannbn and toured the west before going
on to Dublin to fly elsewhere. Everybody got a piece of the action.
But now, the tourist stays in the east. Even if he were to make his
way to Shannon for the return flight to the States he finds the plane
takes off only to fly to Dublin where he has a long delay before a seven
hour flight or more across the Atlantic. There's no incentive there
for him to come west."
The strength of Sterling has not proved to be as beneficial as hoped,
mainly because Sterling is also very strong against all other European
currencies and the British tourist has opted for more dependable climates
such as those of France and Spain.
Continental European numbers are also seen to have fallen, particularly
in July, and the World Cup is thought to have a bearing on this as travelers
often postpone their holidays or cancel altogether in World Cup years.
This year,. with France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Austria England and
Scotland involved in the final stages of the competition, many of them
our best source of tourist revenue, perhaps more than usual changed
their holiday routine for 1998. Certainly, the fact that the World Cup
was hosted in France, so close to many of the participating nations,
was always expected to affect numbers travelling here.
Adding to the problems of those in the industry, particularly the B&B
sector, the strength of the Irish economy has led more Irish holiday-makers
than ever to travel abroad rather than stay at home. The hotels have
benefited from this boom, but mainly at weekends during the off-seeson
period.
Despite a disappointing first few months hoteliers contacted by Glór
Chonamara are buoyant and optimistic. "Investment will continue", this
newspaper was told. "The standards in Ireland today are leaps and bounds
above what they were ten, even five years ago. We are way ahead of many
of our competitors and this will pay off eventually, and pay off handsomely."