As the rest of us brace ourselves for the heart of winter, those in the tourism business are thinking ahead. Last week, Ms Eileen McDonogh, chairwoman of Irish Farmhouse Holidays Ltd, told some 115 delegates in Cork at their annual national seminar that though there was no room for complacency, farmhouse holidays were here to stay and the future looked good. The group has almost 500 members.
Farmhouse accommodation, she explained to The Irish Times, offered something different to hotels and B & Bs. Where else could visitors experience rural living, eat wholesome food, become part of a family and learn at first hand about local customs and history?
The farmhouse holiday market was expanding fast but still depended heavily on British visitors who loved the laid-back Irish atmosphere, she added.
Ms McDonogh said farmhouse accommodation had moved to meet market demands. Almost all rooms are now en suite.
While visitor numbers are up on the east coast, more needs to be done for those on the western seaboard who are not doing so well.
Many contributors to the seminar said that the watchwords must be the provision of quality service and a product that makes people want to come back.
Teagasc, said Ms McDonogh, had courses available, free of charge, for those providing the service to help them keep abreast of developments and grow an industry that had not yet reached its full potential. The 1999 Irish Farmhouse Holidays Guide was launched at the seminar, which took place in the Rochestown Park Hotel.