Madam, — We have been hearing recently about the significant fall in tourist numbers, particularly from our nearest neighbours in Great Britain. Many of those involved in the industry are struggling to survive. Surely it is a case of “drastic situations call for drastic actions”. We need urgent and immediate action to make a quick and meaningful impact on the remainder of this tourist season.
Could I suggest to Minister for Tourism Mary Hanafin that she call all interested parties into her office in the next day or two and tell them that Ireland Inc. will be placing full-page ads in the major British newspapers next weekend or the weekend telling British tourists that they can avail of the cheapest car hire in Europe and of free off-peak travel on all public transport for the next three months.
A free travel pass could be issued to all British tourists on arrival at our airports and ferryports. A system of promotional compensation could be agreed with car-hire operators for three months. Whatever it costs, it would be a cheap way to promote the country for years to come, and might just help an industry that is clearly on its knees to salvage something from a bad year.
Time is of the essence. The Minister needs to adopt a Nike approach and tell everyone to “Just Do It”. – Yours, etc,