Tourism sector affirms commitment to ‘impact review’

Tourism Ireland, the new all-Ireland tourism body, has stressed its commitment to a full and detailed ‘impact review’ on the sector’s market potential in the aftermath of the US terror attacks.

Affirming the organisation’s commitment to a thorough analysis of the situation, Chief Executive Paul O’Toole, said: “We need to quickly study and understand all of the implications and respond to ensure that the Irish tourism industry comes through this unstable and difficult environment with the minimum of damage.”

Working with the assistance of the newly established Tourism Marketing Partnership, in the coming weeks Tourism Ireland will be studying vital factors that will contribute to successful handling of the situation, which will include a focus on the availability of air and sea access to Ireland over the next year, the economic conditions which are likely to prevail and the expected changes in consumers’ travel behaviour. Extensive consultation will also take place with key tourism interests both in Ireland and overseas to ensure that Ireland can secure a share of the available business in the tourism sector.

Mr O’Toole added: “We will also need to monitor the nature, extent and duration of the response to this terrible atrocity and gauge what further impact it may have on people travelling.

“As of now, we are putting a window of five weeks on this impact review. At this stage we hope to have all the necessary information and feedback to enable us to put the necessary action plans in place for 2002 to successfully exploit all available opportunities in existing and new markets and niches in this changed environment.”

The Northern Ireland Tourist Board and Bord Fáilte have stated that they will be supporting Tourism Ireland in this undertaking.

Both organisations are also members of the Tourism Marketing Partnership, and are currently undertaking a critical examination of the balance of their 2001 programme to ensure that any effective interim measures are implemented as soon as possible. (CL)