PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON IRISH TOURISM POLICY LAUNCHED

In 2011, during discussions on tourism at the Global Irish Economic Forum, John Fitzpatrick identified the need for a long-term strategy for Irish tourism. This was subsequently endorsed by Forum participants and short-listed as a key proposal for action by government (see final report).

Now, almost two years later, a three-step process in developing a tourism strategy in finally underway as follows;

1. A public consultation has been launched. Interested parties are invited to submit written views/observations/suggestions to support a competitive and sustainable tourism policy in Ireland. These should be submitted by Friday 1st November 2013 to tourismpolicy@dttas.ie

2. A Tourism Policy Statement will then be finalised by Summer 2014. This statement will set out the Minister's priorities in terms of

• the contribution tourism is to make to national economic and social goals
• how that contribution will be measured and benchmarked, and
• in what manner tourism can best make its contribution

3. A detailed Strategy and Action Plan will then be developed, based on the priorities identified in the tourism policy statement.

Meanwhile, the power of travel and tourism to transform lives is increasingly being recognised by governments around the world. The most obvious example of this is the G20 Leaders Declaration 2012.

This year, President Bill Clinton challenged tourism industry leaders at the WTTC's Global Summit to take the mantle of economic responsibility, with tourism as a game changer.

This strategy review offers tourism stakeholders here, the opportunity to convince policymakers, that tourism can be the game changer for Ireland.

A BANK FOR HOTEL AND TOURISM DEVELOPMENT

With well known hotels such as The Burlington, Parknasilla and Tinakilly House currently on the market and tourism SME's struggling to get finance, I think that the creation of a specialised bank for hotel and tourism development in Ireland might be worth considering.
Austria has such a bank since 1947. The Austrian Bank of Hotel and Tourism Development is a subsidiary of the three largest Austrian banks and provides finance for and subsidies to Austrian tourism businesses. While it is privately owned, it has a contractual relationship with government to provide long-term capital to the sector at favourable interest rates. Last year, it received a €100 million loan from the European Investment Bank to support tourism SME's, even though unlike Ireland, the Austrian tourism sector has been relatively untouched by the recent global economic crisis.
As a new banking system in Ireland emerges from the economic crisis, our tourism sector needs an alternative financial model to that currently available.

MAKING TOURISM A PRIORITY OF IRELAND'S EU PRESIDENCY

Ireland holds the presidency of the EU Council for six months starting January 1st 2013. During this time, it is expected that final agreement on the EU's 2014-2020 budget (otherwise known as the Multi-annual Financial Framework 2014-2020) will be reached. 
Ireland should make tourism a priority of its presidency and establish a direct budget line for tourism, thus completing the work begun by the authors of the Madrid Declaration.
By so doing, budget lines used for the support and coordination of tourism initiatives will be consolidated under a coherent and comprehensive financial framework for tourism. And, just as importantly, the potential of tourism to stimulate long-term job creation and economic growth across Europe will be made clear.

SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN VISITOR ARRIVALS IN 2012

International tourist arrivals worldwide grew by 5.7% in the first two months of 2012 according to the UNWTO's recent World Tourism Barometer. Europe's results were ahead of expectations  (+5%), with destinations in Northern Europe and Western Europe performing even better (+6%).
Unfortunately, while this represents good news for Europe, the news for Ireland isn't quite so positive. The total number of trips to Ireland decreased by 1.2% in the period January-March 2012 compared with the same period last year.
It will be very interesting to see if the 6% increase in visitor numbers to Northern and Western Europe can be sustained for the rest of the year. Watch this space!

ASIA TOURISM FORUM 2012

Last week, I attended the Asia Tourism Forum 2012 in West Java, Indonesia, where I delivered a paper titled "The new political framework for tourism in Europe - A Lesson for Ireland". Organised by the Bandung Institute of Tourism, the conference brought together researchers, tourism industry practitioners and policy makers with the objective of assisting the development, marketing and mangement of Asia's tourism industry.

The quality of speakers was extremely high and I was particularly impressed with the contributions from Professor Kaye Chon, Director of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Professor Geoff Wall from the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

Kaye Chon identified leadership as the key ingredient for a successful tourism industry. He went on to describe Hotel Icon in Hong Kong, the world's first teaching hotel with full integration of teaching and learning in a full-service hotel environment. It only opened a year ago and today, it is number two on Trip Advisor's guide to Hong Kong hotels. This is some achievement for a university owned and managed hotel, in a city where all the leading luxury hotel brands are represented.
Geoff Wall on the other hand, discussed the concept of 'sustainable development', something which invariably is highlighted in any disucssion on tourism planning today.  He pointed out that it is, in fact, an oxymorom, posing questions such as what is to be sustained and what is development? Ultimately, he argued that the concept of 'sustainable livelihoods' is perhaps a much better organising framework.
It was my first time to Indonesia and I was really struck by the hospitality of the people, the warmth of their welcome and the quality of service I received. It was top class.  

Congratulations to Noviendi Makalam, Director of the Bandung Institute of Tourism, his staff and students for being superb hosts. I am very much looking forward to returning in the near future.

REPORT HIGHLIGHTS CONTRIBUTION OF FOOD TO IRISH TOURISM AND EXPORT GROWTH

Good Food Ireland (GFI) continues its excellent work in a new report highlighting the importance of food to Irish tourism. I absolutely agree that food is central to the visitor experience. For example, overseas visitors to Ireland spend more money on food and drink (36%) than on any other item. By comparison, visitors spend 28% of their money on bed & board, 17% on shopping, 11% on internal  transport, 6% on sightseeing/entertainment and 3% on miscellaneous services.

This report makes a valuable contribution in highlighting the economic value of small producers and operators to the Irish economy.  It estimates that GFI's members contribute €50 million  through their purchases of Irish food.
However, one of the findings which really surprised me, was that 'there is simply not enough funding for long-term investment in R&D'. I think the real issue, is not that there isn't enough funding, it is that respondants don't know it's there.  €641 million was allocated to the Agri-Food Research Programme within the Science, Technology and Innovation Fund 2007-2013. The good news, is that a further €80 billion has been allocated for research and innovation in the EU's next multi-annual finanical framework 2014-2020. Perhaps funding agencies need to find a better way to communicate what's on offer, particularly to SME's.  

THE PORTABLE HOTEL - SNOOZEBOX

Every wondered where the 4,200 security staff will stay during the London Olympics? In a transportable, temporary hotel in Hainault Forest.  Yes, a hotel which can be moved to where short-term accommodation is needed - at sporting events, festivals, film shoots etc.
I think Snoozebox is a very clever innovation.  It offers flexible accommodation from 40 to 400 rooms, which can be loaded, stacked and transported quickly to almost any destination in the world. Rooms come with air-conditioning, free WiFi, flat screen digital TV, storage, lugage rack, power sockets and a wet room. A touch screen terminal facilitates self-service check-in, and staff are available to assist if required. Food and beverage facilities can be provided at a bespoke 'Snoozebox Village'.  In addition, Snoozebox can also be used to add additional capacity to existing hotels during special events.

CONSULTATION ON THE EUROPEAN TOURISM QUALITY LABEL

Following the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty in 2009, the European Commission now has specific powers to direct tourism activity in the EU. In June 2010, it published a communication on a new political framework for tourism in Europe. This framework outlined twenty one actions aimed at helping the European tourism industry promote sustainable, responsible and high-quality tourism, in order to enhance the sector's competitiveness.

Within this framework, one of the actions envisages the development of a European Tourism Quality Label (ETQ Label). Currently, there is a wide variety of public and private initiatives in this space, but they lack consistency and coordination.

The objectives of this initiative, according to the Commission, would be three-fold:

• For tourism businesses, it could serve as a management tool
• For consumers, it could be an information tool
• For Europe, it could be a competitive instrument

The possible future label would not abolish, but would complement existing tourism quality evaluation systems, which comply with the common European principles and criteria.

The Commission is currently undertaking an open consultation on this initiative, in the form of a relatively straightforward questionnaire. The consultation is open from 10 April-13 July, 2012. Given the experience of businesses and individuals with quality systems in the past, I'm sure there are many who might be interested in contributing to this important debate.

TOURISM STRATEGY NOW ON THE AGENDA FOLLOWING PUBLICATION OF THE GLOBAL IRISH ECONOMIC FORUM REPORT

Tourism featured prominently in the Report of the Second Global Irish Economic Forum which was recently published. Delegates at the Forum expressed the view that Ireland should aspire to being:-

• the best small country in the world in which to do tourism;
• the best small county in the world in which to do experience culture; and
• the best small country in the world in which to produce and export food.

Since we, as a nation, have never spoken of the tourism sector's potential in such vaulted terms before, these objectives are, therefore, truly visionary. The challenge now, of course, is to convert aspirations into reality.

Meanwhile, the most significant outcome from the tourism working group, is without question, the recognition that a strategic roadmap for Irish tourism is needed. As readers of my blog know, this has always been a very strongly held view of mine. In fact, it was on the eve of the forum that I met with John Fitzpatrick, President and CEO of Fitzpatrick Hotel Group, North America, and asked him to highlight this gap in the discussions on tourism. John obviously did an excellent job of persuading the tourism group to buy into this idea. Thanks, John.

It is anticipated that Government will now produce a 'White Paper' on the sector's future, and I look forward to reviewing it as soon as it is published.

ERRIN TOURISM WORKING GROUP

I recently attended a meeting of the European Regions Research and Innovation Network (ERRIN) Tourism Working Group.

I gave a presentation to the group on how, South Dublin County Council, as a local authority, is successfully leading the development of tourism in the south-west Dublin region.

For those unfamiliar with the ERRIN tourism working group, it is part of ERRIN, a Brussels based network of more than ninety European regions with the objective to ;-

• Strengthen the research and innovative capacities of European regions by facilitating knowledge exchange, joint actions and project partnerships
• Influence EU policies, and engage in debate with EU institutions to make them respond better to the regional needs

ERRIN has thirteen working groups covering diverse areas such as biotechnology, health, ICT, energy and climate change, design and creativity, innovation funding, transport and nanotech.

The tourism working group is involved in shaping EU tourism policy, participating in projects and sharing best practices among European regions. Its links with NECSTour (the Network of European Regions for a Sustainable and Competitive Tourism) has resulted in a very ambitious joint programme of activities for 2012. I was amazed to discover that there is no direct Irish representation on the ERRIN Tourism Working Group and that no region in Ireland is a member of NECSTour.

Why is this significant? Well, even though tourism is the largest indigenous sector of the Irish economy, Ireland is losing a valuable opportunity to participate in and shape ongoing EU tourism developments, at the very time that Europe's new political framework for tourism is taking shape.

It would be impossible to imagine the Irish farming community missing out on such an opportunity.

OVERSEAS TRIPS TO IRELAND INCREASE BY 8% IN 2011

Recent CSO figures confirmed that Irish tourism returned to growth in 2011. 6,505 million people visited Ireland last year, an increase of 468 million over 2010. While this is very welcome news, visitor numbers remain at 2004 levels.
Between 2000-2010, international visitor arrivals grew from 675 million to 940 million. During this period, average annual growth was 3.4 %, with emerging markets (5.6%) strongly outpacing advanced economies (1.8%).
The pattern of visitor arrivals to Ireland over the same period has been much more modest as the following CSO figures indicate -

• 2000 6,293m
• 2001 5,990m
• 2002 6,065m
• 2003 6,369m
• 2004 6,574m
• 2005 6,977m
• 2006 7,709m
• 2007 8,012m
• 2008 7,839m
• 2009 6,927m
• 2010 6,037m

According to the World Tourism Organisation, international tourist arrivals are set to almost double to 1.8billion by 2030. In a European context, international tourist arrivals are set to increase by 240 million by 2020 or an additional 355 million within 18 years. This represents an enormous opportunity for Ireland., but to avail of it, a new strategic plan for tourism should to be developed as a matter of urgency. Given the fragmentation of the industry, this should be led by government. I suggest that a replica of the strategy adopted by government for the technology sector back in 1998 would be a good place to start.

SUMMER TIMES

It's been another interesting summer with lots happening. Some of the highlights for me were as follows:

• The reduced vat rate came into effect on the 1st July (from 13.5% to 9%)
• Almost €6 million worth of funding for four tourism projects was announced under Fáilte Ireland's Tourism Capital Investment Programme as follows: €2.7 million for a new setting for the Book of Kells within the grounds of Trinity College, €2.4 million for an intepretative centre at Garnish Island, €430,353for a Downhill Mountain Bike Trail in Killarney and €212,250 for the further development of infrastructure at Lough Rynn including the existing caravan and capsite, a rowing facility and provision of fishing pontoons
• PSO subsidies to regional airports in Sligo, Knock, Galway and Waterford were abolished. However the government decided to continue to support services to Kerry and Donegal airports. Loganair has been awarded a three year contract for the Donegal/Dublin service and Aer Arann the contract for the Kerry Dublin service were will enjoy a subsidy
• The final phase of the Great Western Greenway opened, a superb 42 km off-road cycling and walking route from Westport to Achill
• ITIC has launched a major review of tourism in the West of Ireland here
• Visits to Ireland increased by over 15% for the months of April, May and June 2011 compared to the same period last year. Good news, but remember that the ash cloud in April 2010? Not too many people were travelling then, so I guess we'll have to wait for later in the year to get a better picture of where numbers are at

On a personal level, I went to Cornell University in the United States and undertook a course in interactive marketing. So thanks to Professor Lisa Klein Pearo and all the team for a great experience.
I'm looking forward to the next few months already, they promise to be even more interesting!

2010 VISITOR NUMBERS AND REVENUE

World tourism arrivals grew by almost 7% in 2010 and visits to Europe by 3% according to the UNWTO.

Despite this positive trend, the picture here is very different. ITIC's Year-end Review 2010 makes for grim reading. It estimates -

• A decline in overseas visitor numbers of 16% to 5.5 million visits compared with 2009
• A fall of 33% or €1.7 billion in earnings since 2007

We now have two million fewer visitors than in 2007 and of course, fewer people employed in the sector. Fáilte Ireland estimates that a whopping 83,666 jobs were lost between 2007 and 2009.
The good news from the world tourism organisation is its forecast that international tourist arrivals are set to almost double from 880 million in 2009 to 1.5 billion by 2020. This represents an enormous opportunity for Ireland over the coming decade, not just for job creation, but also for export growth and exchequer revenue.

While our politicians search for solutions to reduce unemployment, it is worth noting that even a return  to 2007 levels would create close to 100,000 jobs and almost €2 billion in revenue. Yet no political party really seems to understand the sector's potential for job creation.
Normally, costly infrastructure would be required to make this happen. However, our hospitality & tourism product has never been better.  With new airport terminals in Dublin and Cork, a new national convention centre, a new motorway network, improved rail services, world class sports stadia, theatres, hotels, restaurants and golf courses, we just need to find new ways to persuade people to come here.
It is clear to me that the proper development of the sector is really bigger than the sector itself. It is a 'whole of government' and a 'whole of society' issue. Time to get everyone involved!
(Fine Gael's recent tourism policy addresses some of this and I have written about is in an earlier post)

IRISH TOURISM & HOSPITALTY AWARDS

Wow, what a great start to 2011! International guides and experts have given our sector a huge endorsement. In case you missed it -

• Frommer's readers voted Ireland their Favourite Destination for 2011
• Readers of The Oriental Morning Post and travel specialists across China voted Ireland the Most Popular Destination 2010
• France's best-selling travel guide, Le Guide Du Routard says Ireland's restaurants are as good if not better than anywhere in the world in terms of food, value and service
• Irish festivals scooped 3 of the 12 awards at The European Festival Awards in Groningen. Temple House won the Best New European Festival, Electric Picnic won the Best Medium-Sized European Festival and Oxygen won the Best European Festival Line-Up

Let's hope the positive PR will encourage more overseas visitors to holiday here this year!

2011 TOURISM TRENDS & DEVELOPMENTS

Given the events of the past twelve months, it is difficult to forecast with any certainty what 2011 will bring. However there are a few developments which I am looking forward to  -

• Tourism will become more centre-stage in Ireland. We will have a new government, a new Minister for Tourism  and possibly a new departmental configuration. With Fine Geal leader Enda Kenny, a former Minister for Tourism and recent proposals from both Fine Gael and the Labour, it will be interesting to see the approach taken
• Ireland's reputation as a sports tourism destination will be further enhanced as it hosts two major international events. The Europa League Final will take place in the Aviva Stadium in May while the Solheim Cup will take place at Killeen Castle in September
• As the Convention Centre Dublin  (CCD) opens for its first full year, we will see increased activity in the business tourism segment
• Following the lead of the hotel and restaurant sectors, our pubs are likely to provide better value offerings to help attract and retain custom   
• Restaurants may begin to adopt the airline pricing model to stimulate revenue and yield. For example, Cafe Luc in London is offering 15, 3 course menus for just £1 (Jan 7 -7 Feb). Menus are available at lunch, afternoon tea and dinner
• International hotel chain Starwood will expand its 'W' lifestyle brand in Europe. 'W' hotels will open London, St. Petersburg and Paris following earlier openings in Barcelona and Istanbul. Mandarin Oriental will debut in Paris while the Four Seasons Park Lane London will reopen after a complete refurbishment

2010 TOURISM YEAR IN REVIEW

2010 was a pretty significant year and here are a few things which caught my attention -

• The eruption of an unpronounceable volcano (Eyjafjallajokull) in Iceland resulted in the closure of European airspace for almost 6 days in April. While Ireland's airports shut, huge numbers of businesses were left to count the cost. In addition, record snowfalls at the beginning and end of the year had a similiar negative impact
• Full service airlines continued to merge. In Europe, British Airways and Iberia decided to join forces while in the USA, United Airlines and Continental Airlines agreed a similiar move. Both mergers followed earlier tie-ups between Air France and KLM and between Delta and Northwest
• The Savoy London, one of the world's most famous hotels, re-opened after a three year £220 million restoration, while Shangri La opened its first European hotel in Paris
• The cruise sector bucked industry trends with the launch of eleven new ships (27,000 berths). Royal Carribbean's 5,400 passenger Allure of the Seas is the largest of the new vessels
• With the inauguration of the rail link between Madrid and Valencia, Spain has the largest high speed rail network in Europe (2655km). It is now second only to China on a global scale
• The big 4 opened in Dublin: Terminal 2 (T2), Convention Centre Dublin (CCD), Aviva Stadium & the Grand Canal Theatre
• The Department of Arts Sports and Tourism was renamed the Department of Tourism Culture & Sport. Mary Hanafin was appointed Minister replacing Martin Cullen
• On March 17th, iconic buildings and attractions around the world including the Sydney Opera House, the London Eye, the Empire State Building and the CN Tower in Toronto turned green in honour of St Patrick's Day
• Dublin was appointed a City of Literature by UNESCO. It is only one of four such cities worldwide, the others being Edinburgh, Iowa City and Melbourne
• In an effort to stimulate overseas visitor numbers, Fáilte Ireland and Irish Rail introduced the 'Golden Trekker' - a scheme whereby visitors aged 66 or over could travel by train for free in the Republic of Ireland. No word yet on whether it will continue in 2011
• An 18km traffic free walking and cycling facility, the Great Western Greenway, opened in Mayo. It primarily follows the line of the old Newport/Mulranny railway which closed in 1937. The route forms part of the National Cycle Network which is currently under development
• More hotels went into receivership including Citywest, Finnstown House, the Heritage in Killenard & Portlaoise and the Osprey in Naas. Meanwhile, many properties increasingly operate under management contracts with Dalata Ltd now Ireland largest hotel group (19 hotels, 3,000 bedrooms). Tifco Hotel Group has also grown (9 hotels & over 16oo bedrooms)
• The Gibson Hotel Dublin was the only new opening, while many were sad to see the doors of The Montrose in Stillorgan close
• According to ITIC, visitor numbers to Ireland are estimated to have decreased by 16% to 5.5 million while earnings from overseas visitors have fallen by one third since 2007
• The CSO announced that tourism & travel statistics will issue on a quarterly basis rather than on a monthly basis as had been the case previously
• A Food Tourism strategy was launched by Fáilte Ireland
• Notable retirements this year included John Power, Chief Executive, IHF, and Frank Magee, Chief Executive Dublin Tourism. Tim Fenn replaced John Power while Frank Magee' s sucessor has yet to be announced. I wish them all well
• Finally, Frommer's readers have voted Ireland their favourite destination for 2011. So here's hoping!

THE MONTROSE HOTEL & BUDGET ACCOMMODATION

The news that the owners of the Montrose Hotel in Dublin plan to reopen it as a budget hotel, is no surprise. Budget hotels are a growing trend internationally. While brands such as Travelodge and Premier Inn are well known here, other names are perhaps less familiar. These include Sidorme in Spain, Group B&B in France & Germany and Omena in Finland. The London hotel market is set for a shake-up in August with the opening of the really low-cost Asian brand Tune Hotels at Westminster.

At the World Budget & Economy Hotels Congress last year, I listened with interest to Peter Haaber, CEO Zleep Hotels, a Danish budget hotel company. He said that average hourly pay for hotel staff in Denmark is DKK 125,00 (about €16.50 per hour).......and that does not include holiday pay and social welfare contributions etc. which add a further 20%! That's not all. The VAT rate is 25% and non-refundable for hotel and restaurant purchases.

Given recent reports and coverage, we could be forgiven for thinking that Ireland is the only country with a very hostile operating environment!

How then, does the business model work in Denmark?

The key said Peter, is to cut costs at the outset, copy 3 star hotel facilities and cut away unnecessary services and unused facilities. Install triple glazing & automatic light switches. Get energy certification, use it in marketing and purchase energy on long-term contracts. Route reservation calls for all properties to one central facility. Outsource housekeeping, property maintenance services, IT support and breakfast production.

I wonder if the Montrose might be the first to offer something similiar here?

A TOURISM LESSON FOR IRELAND FROM NEW ZEALAND

While we in the tourism industry might like to believe that the downturn in the global economy is to blame for our falling tourist numbers, this view was shattered by figures released by Tourism New Zealand recently (1/3/10). Visits to New Zealand during the peak summer month of January 2010 were up 5.2% compared to January 2009. Among the highlights -

• Australia up 15.7%
• Japan up 15.5%
• Germany up 10.6%
• Canada up 4.4%
• US up 0.6%
• UK down just 0.6%

For broad comparison, total overseas visitor numbers to Ireland last year were as follows -

• Australia down 18%
• Japan down 7.9%
• Germany down 10.5%
• Canada down 9.3%
• US down 2%
• UK down 16%

The sense that we, as an industry, are at the mercy of global factors outside our control, serves only to promote a feeling of helplessness. But this need not be the case, as certain hoteliers outlined at the IHF Conference this week (see below). Naturally, it helps that the New Zealand Prime Minister is also the 'Minister of Tourism'! Imagine what the impact for Ireland would be if Brian Cowen followed his lead and took responsibility for the tourism ministry in the upcoming cabinet re-shuffle!

ARE INTERNATIONAL HOTEL BRANDS RETREATING?

While driving on the M4 a few weeks ago, I noticed some posters for a wedding fair at 'Johnstown House Hotel'. Hmm.......I had thought the property was called 'Marriott Johnstown House Hotel'. It was, but not anymore. The hotel's association with the Marriott brand had ended. This got me thinking about the position of international brands in the Irish hotel sector. The first of these arrived just over 20 years ago when the Conrad Dublin opened its doors in 1989. Twenty five other brands have since followed (Hilton, Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, Marriott, Courtyard by Marriott, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Westin, Sheraton, Radisson, Park Inn, Clarion, Quality, Comfort Inn, Days Inn, Days Hotel, Capella, Solis, Park Plaza, Ramada, Ibis, Travelodge, Tulip Inn and Premier Inn). However, following a period of rapid expansion, international brands are now scaling back. And others are exiting altogether. Some examples are as follows:

• Hilton operated the Mount Wolseley Resort in Carlow and Hilton Limerick (now Limerick Strand Hotel) for less than two years before ending its association with both. Last year, it also withdrew its Conrad brand from Mount Juliet in Co. Kilkenny
• In 2006, Starwood introduced the Sheraton brand at Fota, Co. Cork. This followed the launch of its Westin brand in Dublin in 2001. A second Sheraton property opened in Athlone in 2008. However, the association with the Cork property ended last year (now Fota Island Hotel & Spa) while plans to introduce its 'Luxury Collection' brand at Killeen Castle, Co. Meath were abandoned
• Golden Tulip introduced its Tulip Inn brand to Dublin in October 2005. Two years later, it withdrew from the Irish market. Today, the property operates under the Premier Inn brand, part of the Whitbread group
• Rezidor launched its Park Inn brand in 2005 following the introduction of the Radisson brand in 1998 (Stillorgan). Park Inns opened in Mulranny, Co. Mayo, Dundalk, Dublin and Shannon Airport. Today, only the Shannon property operates under the Park Inn brand
• In 2007, Choice Hotels Ireland sold its four Comfort Inn properties (Citywest, Smithfield, Parnell Square and Portlaoise) and seven of its Quality branded hotels to TVC Holdings Ltd (These eleven properties now trade as Maldron Hotels)
• West Paces introduced the Capella brand at Castlemartyr Co. Cork to much acclaim in June 2007. Eighteen months later, the association ended and the property closed. It re-opened last year under a management team from Dromoland Castle and is now known as Castlemartyr Resort

I think that we are likely to see a continuing reduction in the number of international branded properties in 2010 and 2011 with management of hotels reverting to indigenous, professional Irish operators. Good news for those who wish to see a return to a more authentic Irish hospitality experience.

2010 TOURISM TRENDS & FORECASTS

In 2010, I expect that the tourism sector will continue to demonstrate that it is capable of adapting its offerings in line with the changed realities of the marketplace. Here are some of the general developments which will differentiate 2010 from 2009 -

• Airlines will consolidate and reduce the number of flights on offer. Some services which were cancelled in winter '09 are unlikely to be reinstated for summer '10. The cost of air travel is set to increase as oil prices continue to rise. Airports will be less crowded but delays can be expected with increased security checks
• The hotel product offering will evolve fuelled by greater demand for budget & economy rates. Trends from the airline model will continue to be replicated, so expect to see greater incentives to book on-line, pre-payments, no refunds and self check-in. Dining options will be reduced, be cheaper and more informal. Remember, the €65 table d'Hote menu of 2009 has passed its sell-by date. Operators will focus on the leisure market as business travel remains sluggish. Where oversupply exists, many properties will close
• Restaurants will be less about the chef and more about the customer. Hospitality, service, ambience and value are back on the menu. Front of house staff will be centre stage. Expect them to become more friendly, knowledgable and efficient. Words such as 'welcome' and 'thank-you' will increasingly be part of the dialogue with the customer. Where food prices fell last year, expect wine prices to fall this year. To control costs, menu choices will be reduced with an increasing emphasis on comfort food, well-being and nutrition
• Families and seniors will be actively targetted as these market segments are gowing rapidly. However, attractive packages need to be created to appeal to both. For those looking for inspiration, a visit to Kelly's in Rosslare and IKEA restaurant point the way. To the relief of parents, children will even be made to feel welcome
• Co-operative marketing initiatives will increase as sectoral interests give way to the common good. Expect to see visitor attractions, hotels, restaurants, car hire firms, retail outlets, theatres, cinemas, concert venues, bus companies, ferry companies, airlines etc working closely together to develop attractive consumer packages
• Technology will become more widespread and will be used to lower cost where appropriate. Providers will embrace it in purchasing, reservations, customer databases and visitor information. As the cost of mobile communications fall, expect a greater use of targeted text offers and reminders. In line with consumer needs, WiFi charges should become more the exception than the norm while social media platforms will increasingly be used to influence travel and hospitality decisions.
• Finally, 'must visit' places this year will be those that give people a really enjoyable experience. This can range from the local coffee shop right through to a holiday destination. Being the latest, coolest or most fashionable is not important in 2010. But if it still matters to some, the opening of Armani Hotel in March might help!