Joint marketing has been key to beating slump, says Siobhán Creaton, Finance Correspondent

Donegal's northeast peninsula of Inishowen is reporting a surge in tourism figures, bucking the regional slump across the rest of the Republic.

A report by Inishowen Tourism says bookings at hotels are up by 15 per cent on last year and is attributing the turnaround to a joint marketing initiative involving the key players in the region.

The local tourist industry has produced a series of packages offering special rates and activities, which have been advertised together in a targeted campaign, designed with specialist support from Fáilte Ireland. Funding for this successful campaign was secured by local TD and chairperson of the Dáil Committee on Arts and Tourism, Cecilia Keaveney, who says "it has been an important injection into our area".

Some local hotels found themselves having to refer guests on over the summer, because of the demand. With weekend bookings now up in the autumn and winter season, they would like to develop the midweek market for the out-of-season period.

"Most of the local hotels, guesthouses and tourist attractions would not have had the budget to run such targeted advertising themselves," says regional marketing executive with Fáilte Ireland, Sheena Doyle. "By coming together, offering special packages like surf and turf, to painting and pampering weekends, they have produced a tourism product which is so attractive that demand is beginning to exceed supply, even outside the main season."

She says that in the face of increased competition, providers need to be more innovative in presenting their product. "They need to take a step back and look at it from a consumer perspective and come up with a proposition that is value for money and different. The trade in Inishowen has a fantastic product to work from so it was just a matter of adjusting how it was presented and then getting that message to the consumer."

There has been a fundamental change in visitor patterns to Ireland over the past five years with Dublin attracting the bulk of all tourists at the expense of the regions. Fáilte Ireland estimates that the number of holidaymakers using bed nights outside the Dublin area, has fallen by 2.7 million, or 14 per cent since 1999. Overall it suggests that tourism numbers are down 3 per cent as Ireland has lost its position in key segments of the British and European markets. In 2003 the northwest region hosted almost 350,000 fewer bed nights than in 1999, with the latest initiative designed to reverse that trend.

Those involved in the Inishowen tourism project, from local hotels, guesthouses and tourist attractions, are delighted with the campaign's success.

Mary Borland, marketing manager of Buncrana's sister hotels, the Inishowen Gateway and the Lake of Shadows, says there has been a noticeable increase in visitors, particularly from northern Ireland, since the advertising campaign was launched.

Ann McGrory, from McGrory's Guesthouse and Restaurant in Culdaff, says they've had a 15 per cent increase in weekend bookings, and that midweek bookings are up too. She attributes it directly to the Fáilte Ireland-supported initiative, and also praises the initiative "because it has dealt directly with people in the trade".

One of the reasons why hotel bookings remain so solid up to December is the growing appeal of "Donegal's Lapland" on the Isle of Doagh visitor centre outside Ballyliffin that is transformed into Santa's Island from late November to Christmas. Owner Mr Pat Doherty says the weekends are all completely booked out, as well as a few of the weekdays.