TALKING POINTS:IRELAND FACES a major challenge in rebuilding its reputation for investors as a result of the financial crisis.
That was one of the messages to emerge from a group discussion at the global Irish forum on how best to communicate Ireland’s image to the world.
Adrian Jones, managing director of the principal investment area in Goldman Sachs, said Ireland faced a considerable challenge in rebuilding its international reputation for investors. He said that, five or six years ago, the US corporate sector was very favourably disposed towards Ireland. “Now, that has been shattered. Ireland has fallen further than almost any other country. In many ways, it was revered by this corporate audience. Acknowledging that is very important.”
Recent global surveys show that Ireland has been slipping in international rankings which measure the reputations of developed countries. The annual CountryRep2011 study found countries ranked Ireland the 17th most reputable country in the world, down from 14th a year ago and 11th in 2009.
Our self-image, however, was much worse. Irish people rated Ireland only 31st out of a total of 53 countries, 12 places lower than last year. James Hogan, chief executive officer at Etihad Airlines, said he felt Ireland should be more “bullish” about selling its strengths and marketing itself.
“There is a new wave of tourism from Asia, places like China, Korea and elsewhere,” he said. “They want to go somewhere they feel comfortable and Ireland is a unique, unspoiled location . . . You’ve just got to package it better and tackle things like visas and access.”
John McColgan said there should be little surprise that people in Ireland feel demoralised after the financial crisis, but it was vital for the country to recover its sense of confidence.
“We’re all following the rugby team at the moment, and when you look around at the fans, the energy and the pride they have in this team, it’s extraordinary.
“They are a symbol, an icon for the country. It’s a great example of the Irish spirit.”
Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore said that despite the economic difficulties, there was every reason to be optimistic and look forward with a sense of optimism. “For example, we look at our economic activity. Exports are strong, there are high levels of foreign direct investment. We made a mess of banking and property. But what we’re doing now is bringing about recovery. We need to recapture the grounded sense of confidence that we are good, that we can do things well.”
The director general of RTÉ, Noel Curran, said the media was often blamed for portraying the country in a negative light and focusing on negative news stories.
“But the same media reporting the bad news are also reporting stories like the visit of the Queen, Barack Obama and sporting events . . . When people criticised an organisation like RTÉ, they tend to focus on a very narrow range of output.”
