One of the first tourist guide books about
Ireland
,
Arthur Young’s Tour of Ireland, was published in 1780. Many beautiful places
were described but if you decided
to visit you had to cover large distances on horseback When
canals were built in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries,
Ireland acquired its first mass
transport network. Soon afterwards the roads were improved and it became
possible to travel by horse and carriage. By the middle of the nineteenth
century a network of rail lines criss-crossed the country and in 1936 air travel
commenced between Ireland and England.
The Irish Tourist Association (ITA), which promoted 400 hotels in
its first brochure in 1925, marketed the fledgling Irish Free State as a tourist
destination. In 1939, Bord Cuartaoíchta na hEireann was established by an Act of
the Dáil. This organisation took over from the ITA with statutory powers to
register and grade hotels and was the forerunner of Bord Fáilte. In 1955 Bord
Fáilte Éireann was created under the Tourist Traffic Act, to develop and promote
tourism in the
Republic of
Ireland
. With each new development came a new wave of
tourists. Today
Ireland
has a thriving tourism industry which
contributes in the region of £3 billion to the economy each year.
The World Tourism Organisation (WTO) defines a tourist as: A
person travelling to and staying at least one night in a country other than his
or her country of usual residence for a period not exceeding 12 months for
leisure, business or other purposes. It is evident from this definition that
tourists are not just people who come to Irelandprimarily to holiday. A total of 5.5 million overseas tourists
visited Irelandin 1998. The largest group was from Britainwhere 3.2 million (58% of all tourists) packed their suitcases to
visit Ireland. Another 1.3 million (23%)
came from Mainland Europe, and North Americaaccounted for 858,000
(15%). A further 124,000 tourists came from Australia and New
Zealand. The typical visitor spends most of his or her budget on
food, drink, and accommodation. The rest of the money goes on shopping,
sightseeing, entertainment and transport. Of the 5.5 million tourists who
visited Irelandin 1998, 2.1 million came mainly for a holiday.
Research by Bord Fáilte shows that holiday visitors are primarily influenced in
their choice of Irelandas a holiday destination by
the quality of the scenery and the sighstseeing opportunities available. Other
important reasons for choosing Irelandare a sense of discovering a
new holiday destination, the expectation of a restful and relaxing atmosphere
and the opportunity to experience our unique history and culture. Two thirds of
holiday visitors use a car while in Irelandin
order to see more of the country. The ideal holiday for some
people is somewhere sunny with nice beaches and warm oceans. Ireland has a
different appeal. People come here because they have a strong interest in the
countryside and the scenery. They also believe that the people are friendly and
it is a safe place to visit. Most are not disappointed and in fact the holiday
is usually better than they expected - and this includes the weather! Many
people come to Ireland because they
can fish, cycle, ride horses, play golf or cruise inland
waterways. The fact that
Ireland
cannot guarantee good weather
is not a deterrent as tourists are not coming
primarily for sunshine. Marketing
Ireland
as a
tourist destination and persuading overseas tourists to visit
Ireland
is a complex task.
Ireland
, as a holiday
destination,
is in competition with almost 60 other destinations, each
attracting in excess of a million visitors a year, and all trying to persuade
travellers to sample their attractions. In 1996 a new approach to
marketing the
island of
Ireland
was launched. Almost two years of research and work
was invested in the development of a new brand for Irish tourism. This is called
Tourism Brand Ireland (TBI) and is a marketing approach which has strengthened
Ireland
’s position in this highly competitive
sector. TBI involves a partnership arrangement between the Overseas
Tourism Marketing Initiative (OTMI), Bord Fáilte and the
Northern
Ireland
Tourist Board. It has demonstrated how
beneficial it is to get both public and private sectors working together.
The aim of TBI is to increase tourism revenue, spread the benefits of tourism
throughout the country and achieve greater growth outside the peak July/August
season.
In the past ten years it is estimated that £3 billion has been
invested in the tourism sector. The European Union made available over £500
million of this sum in
the period 1989 to 1999 inclusive. The EU funds were used to
develop new products and to stimulate marketing and
training.
Measures: 20.30" X
16.50".
Condition:
Very Good - unused with centre fold.
)
