An Irish Invasion

By George Houde

Ireland is invading the United States with a broad-based coalition this spring in an ambitious campaign to bolster a tourist business hit hard in recent years by fears of terrorism, war in Iraq and Afghanistan and U.S. economic woes.

The campaign is from Tourism Ireland, the all-Ireland tourist promotion agency, and will feature a series of 30 travel seminars targeted at retail travel agents in cities across the U.S. with an eye to keeping the Emerald Isle on their list of top destinations. The coalition includes dozens of representatives from hotels, tour operations, car rental concerns and tourist businesses who will help promote the idea of vacationing in the green and peaceful landscape of Ireland.

The kick-off to the campaign was held in Oak Brook, Ill., Jan. 26 with a companion lunch in Chicago for agents, travel writers and those in the business of selling all-things Irish. Attempting to overcome the world-wide travel slump induced by the terrorist attacks on America, Tourism Ireland will invest more in advertising and promotion efforts this year, officials said. In spite of a 10 percent decline in American tourist business in 2002, officials sounded optimistic and confident. 

"We believe the U.S. market is coming back strong," said David Boyce, advertising and communications vice president for Tourism Ireland. He spoke at the kickoff luncheon for the campaign held at the Peninsula Hotel on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago, a city that has been a leading exporter of tourists and tourist dollars to Ireland.

Following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, the travel industry suffered a worldwide decline and the rising tourist trade in Ireland took a double digit hit. There were worries of bombs, hijackings and biological weapons. War in Afghanistan and then Iraq increased anxieties. A six hour flight across the North Atlantic Ocean made a trip to Ireland seem risky to those who remembered the horrible pictures of jet airliners flying into the twin towers of the World Trade Center. The attacks stopped a booming tourist business that in 2000 had registered 1 million U.S. visitors, a record. 

But Boyce said 2004 may prove to be a turning point in the tourism industry's comeback.

"Our tourism promotion efforts yielded great success last year," said Boyce. "We need to build on that success and regain the rapid growth curve in U.S. visitor numbers of the late 1990's."

Still occupying a popular place in the hearts of American travelers, travel agents and business operators echo Boyce's sentiments and say things are booming once again.

"My business is absolutely fabulous," said Brian Moore, chairman of SMI Tours. "The last two weeks have been the best ever."

Observers of the Irish tourist and trade industry also say business appears to be on the upswing. Shay Clarke, owner of Blarney on the Mall stores in Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Ill., and in Spring Hill Mall in West Dundee, Ill., said Midwest travelers are still making Ireland a top stop.

"In my store in Woodfield, either people are just leaving for Ireland or just coming back," said Clarke, a native of Ireland.

Given current round trip airfare prices as low as $300, peace in Northern Ireland and world-famous Irish hospitality, Moore and Clark said they believe Ireland represents a safe bet and good value.

Though Tourism Ireland's increase in its advertising and promotion budget is modest - only $500,000 out of a total of some $8 million - Boyce said it represents the belief that U.S. tourist visits will increase. 

The board is investing $3.9 million in advertising to the American market up until June and another $1.5 million after that. Other marketing costs, such as the current promotion blitz for travel agents and related businesses, make up the remainder of the budget. The current promotion is officially called, "Selling Ireland 2004." 

Ireland reaps more than $700 million in U.S. tourist dollars each year, said Boyce, and tourism is an important part of the nation's economy.

The travel seminars will be presented by a coalition of airlines, tour companies, car rental agencies and hotel operators. The boom in the Irish economy over the past decade has provided not only increased travel amenities in Ireland itself, but has led to the exportation of the nation's cozy friendliness. The Jurys Doyle Hotel Corp., for instance, is continuing a program of expansion overseas, with the U.S. a leading target.

"We have doubled the number of our hotels in the past four to five years," said Andrew Greenslade, sales manager for Jurys Doyle in North America. "We are trying a new concept to create an inn-like atmosphere with our hotels."

The company's latest project is turning the old Boston police headquarters into hospitable lodgings for tourists. Greenslade said the impregnable structure of the headquarters has caused delays in the makeover and the spring opening has been postponed.

Tourism Ireland's promotion in the U.S. is an annual event and has been improved over the years to include a mix of breakfasts, luncheons and evening receptions for travel agents and other industry representatives. The programs have been helpful in keeping tourism to Ireland high on the list of travel priorities for Americans, said Boyce.

"We have utmost confidence in the exceptional quality of Ireland's vacation product for American travelers," said Boyce. "These travel trade presentations being held throughout America are a vital part of the marketing mix we have planned in our promotional strategy for the year."