Recovery and rediscovery: Paul Kelly on Irish tourism
As restrictions ease across Ireland, we're finally learning to travel, dine and explore the country again in a new world, rediscovering the delights of Irish tourism as we do so. Paul Kelly, CEO of Fáilte Ireland, spoke to ALHAUS magazine about what the future of Irish tourism looks like and the challenges that lie ahead.
Paul Kelly, CEO of Fáilte Ireland, has been at the helm since 2017, overseeing the most turbulent period for Irish tourism in recent history. Photo courtesy of Fáilte Ireland.
For the second year in a row, the Irish staycation has reigned supreme, with the summer exodus descending on hotspots like Glengarriff in Cork, Dingle in Kerry and Connemara in Galway. Queues of hungry tourists have been lining up to sample the wares in restaurants and pubs across the country, foldable outdoor tables and chairs groaning under the collective weight of a nation in search of escape.
It's been a whirlwind few months for the tourism and hospitality businesses of Ireland as they cope with changing regulations, new protocols for indoor diners and the resumption of international travel.
Fáilte Ireland, Ireland's National Tourism Development Authority, has been there to provide support from day one of the global health crisis, dispensing advice, funding and information through their dedicated COVID-19 Business Support Hub. They continue now to support the tourism sector on the road to recovery, providing supports for businesses, driving domestic demand and investing in tourism experiences across the country.
Paul Kelly, CEO of Fáilte Ireland, has been at the helm since 2017 and has overseen the most turbulent period for Irish tourism in recent history. "The pandemic devastated an industry that was the backbone of our economy nationally and regionally and the facts bear this out. Tourism accounted for 260,000 jobs (or 1 in every 9 jobs) and was worth almost €8billion to our economy annually before Covid struck," he points out.
For Fáilte Ireland, it's important to recognise that the recovery of tourism will play an essential part in Ireland's overall national recovery. "Of every €1million euro spent by tourists, €720,000 stays in the Irish economy; this sustains infrastructure and businesses that are vital to the growth and success of local communities across the country," he says.
The authority has identified the development of top-class visitor attractions as integral to the recovery of the sector, continuing to invest in tourism experiences nationwide. "We recently announced a major investment of €73million to develop four new world-class Irish tourist attractions as part of Fáilte Ireland’s Platforms for Growth Investment Grants Scheme for Immersive Heritage and Cultural Attractions. Fáilte Ireland is investing €44.3million of the total investment, making it the most significant investment in visitor attractions that we have ever undertaken."
Driving domestic tourism is key to recovery, maintains Paul — and in a world where the unvaccinated are still required to quarantine on arrival in many foreign countries, he has a point.
"We launched the Keep Discovering domestic marketing campaign at the end of May to inspire people to take breaks in Ireland this summer and into the shoulder season, with a particular focus on the urban areas that we know are experiencing lower levels of occupancy. The campaign is now live across TV, press, radio, PR, out-of-home and digital channels and has been met with great positivity across the country. We have also partnered with Tripadvisor, Expedia Group, SuperValu Getaway Breaks and many others on a new online sales campaign to drive domestic holiday bookings."
According to Fáilte Ireland figures, there has been a significant increase in people enjoying outdoor water-based activities (like kayaking, surfing, paddle-boarding and open water swimming). A recently announced investment of €19million in the development of world-class facility centres for water-based activities at 22 locations across the country will presumably take advantage of that upward trend.
"Looking to the future, recovery will not be immediate, but tourism will recover," says Paul. "Even as businesses reopen and customers return, there will still be many challenges to overcome so the speed of recovery is hard to predict, but Fáilte Ireland remains committed to supporting the tourism industry on this road to recovery."