Last March, the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation (ITIC) commissioned Tourism Development International (TDI) to prepare a study on the marketing requirements for tourism in Dublin. This study, published in June, correctly identified a vision for the City that is broader than tourism. It says that Dublin's future as a sustainable city depends on it being an excellent place to live, work, learn, recreate and visit.
The report notes that Dublin's potential as a tourism destination has yet to be fully realised.The achievement of a growth target of 6.2% per year to 2020 would, it suggets, result in an additional 2.7 million overseas visitors, €750 million extra in overseas tourism revenues per annum and 27,000 additional new jobs.
Dublin's main competitors have, according to the report, organisational structures in place to mobilise effective and sustained marketing campaigns for their cities. Despite this, I am surprised at the finding that there is no one model which emerges as ideal for Dublin. For example, the very successful private sector model, established by the city authorities in New York, is now widely copied elsewhere.
The report suggests that a Destination Marketing Alliance for Dublin should be set up within the organisational architecture of Fáilte Ireland, and that new international marketing campaigns would be developed with and executed by Tourism Ireland under Service Level Agreements.
While I wish this initiative well, it's difficult to see how this proposed structure can deliver on the vision for Dublin as a major centre for communications, business, education, enjoyment and investment.
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