An apparent zero growth in the number of tourists who came to the Republic last year is causing concern to hoteliers, who called yesterday for more focused holiday promotional campaigns.
While at first glance there was a 7 per cent increase in visitors last year, a closer look revealed no change in the number of people choosing Ireland as a holiday destination, Mr Bill Power, president of the Irish Hotels Federation, told its annual conference.
"It is extremely perturbing that zero growth is being achieved in our core component of Irish tourism. The additional 400,000 people who came last year seem to comprise business travellers or people visiting relatives or friends," he said.
Mr Power added that while all additional visitors to the country were to be welcomed, the traditional tourist areas did not benefit from corporate or business visitors.
"Many small family-run hotels and guesthouses, particularly in the rural and traditional areas of the country, noted a patchy season last year. This is an indication of the lack of growth in the number of new holidaymakers coming to Ireland," he told 300 delegates in Malahide, Co Dublin.
They were fortunate in having a strong and fast-growing business sector, but many premises were in locations where the corporate sector was not part of business as their markets were leisure visitors, he pointed out.
Mr Power called for promotional initiatives to focus on Ireland's uniqueness as a holiday destination.
Bord Failte was making great strides in achieving its targets of 7 per cent growth last year, with six million visitors, and an additional 6 per cent this year, he said. Growth campaigns should be based on targeting more holidaymakers, however, if the ambitious targets were to be achieved and sustained.