Costs make business economics very challenging for many

The 2024 tourism season has been less positive than had been hoped for with many external factors challenging performance, Fáilte Ireland CEO Paul Kelly has claimed.

In an email message to Kerry tourism service providers, he said sustained periods of unpredictable weather and reports of lower levels of domestic holiday demand were key factors in the performance.

He maintained that complaints of limited accommodation stock in some areas and airline strikes earlier in the summer also caused difficulties.

“This is all in the context of significant input cost increases which has made the overall business economics very challenging for many,” Mr Kelly said.

“We are currently working through all the available data sources and we will produce a season performance overview in the coming weeks”.

On the positive side, he said there had been a large number of major festivals, concerts and events supporting the sector across the summer and Fáilte Ireland was pleased to support many of them.

Of particular note, last month was the College Football Classic which brought a huge injection of 27,000 international visitors to Dublin, many of whom took a trip around Ireland before or after the game.

“With an average visitor stay of seven to 10 nights in three locations across the island, this event was a significant economic driver for tourism and hospitality businesses,” Mr Kelly said.

The CEO said driving sustainable development is a key strategic priority for Fáilte Ireland and the tourism promotion organisation’s programme has now reopened to new participants. S

Since its launch earlier this year, the programme has enlisted over 120 businesses dedicated to reducing their carbon footprint.

“Looking ahead to the shoulder season, we will continue to empower tourism businesses to build their capabilities and thrive.

“Our online learning platform, learniFI, is back with a new schedule of live and on-demand courses which offer practical tools, insights and supports to enhance the visitor experience, improve digital presence and reach new customers,” Mr Kelly said.

Meanwhile, Fáilte Ireland has confirmed that Meitheal 2025 – the major tourism promotion event – will return to the INEC in Killarney next April.

The event gives the Irish tourism industry and overseas tourism buyers from over 20 different countries the opportunity to meet and do business with over 10,000 appointments conducted over two days with many new and important contracts signed.

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