THE NEW chairman of the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation has warned that never before have the markets for Irish tourism experienced such economic pressures.
In his first address to the confederation at its agm yesterday, Tom Haughey, who is director of industry affairs for the Dublin Airport Authority, said: “At no time before have all our source markets been in severe economic decline at the same time.
“Given the substantial reliance on the domestic market of large sectors of our industry, and of some resorts and regions, the next couple of years will present particular problems as the Irish economy goes through a difficult period of readjustment.”
Despite this, he said, the Irish tourism product is sound given the massive public and private sector investment of the last decade.
“Tourism is a resilient sector which will prosper and grow once again. However, the next few years are likely to be dominated by three phases, survival, consolidation and renewal.”
He also told delegates that the tourism industry will remain a crucial sector within the Irish economy supporting in excess of 250,000 jobs, and sustaining economic activity throughout the country, particularly in areas where alternative industry is unlikely to develop.
He sent a clear message to Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan in advance of his April 7th supplementary budget saying it must “send a strong message of conviction that while pain is inevitable for all in the short-term, the measures being adaptd will work, and will deliver full recovery by 2013”.
“At that time the next National Development Plan (NDP) 2013-2020 will be due, and if we make the difficult but correct decisions now, that plan can deliver the growth, prosperity and sustainability originally envisaged in the current NDP.”
The tourism industry in Ireland acts as a substantial tax contributor to the exchequer, delivering over €2.5 billion annually. He said the overseas marketing budgets of the tourism agencies, Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland, should be kept fully intact.
Not to do so would do lasting damage to the excellent tourism product created by private and public investment in recent years, he added.