Irish Examiner view: Outlook for tourism is far from sunny

Irish Examiner

12 hours ago

We may be currently enjoying warm weather — but the outlook for our tourism industry is far from sunny, according to that sector's representative body.
The Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) has sounded a note of warning in its pre-budget submissions, saying the industry is in dire need of a raft of supporting measures, from increased Government investment to the
removal of the Dublin Airport passenger cap.
Its representatives say that visitor figures from America remain strong, but numbers from Europe and Britain are not as robust, and 'even the domestic market [numbers] are soft'.
This is troubling, given the size and scope of the tourism industry — in the broadest sense, it has a presence in practically every village in the country.
With the numbers directly or indirectly employed in the tourism sector, warnings about its viability must be taken seriously.
It is worth pointing, however, to some of ITIC's points, such as its admission that Irish tourism cannot hope to compete with Mediterranean countries on price.
This is immediately obvious to anyone holidaying in Spain, for instance, but it underlines the fact that at a time when rising costs make bargain hunters of all of us, there is better value to be had elsewhere.
The ITIC spokesman also said: 'Eurostat came out with figures just last month which showed that Ireland was the second-most expensive country in the EU — so that obviously finds its way through to restaurant bills, pub bills, hotel bills.'
There is a certain amount of chicken-and-egg reasoning here. Many Irish citizens would point to high prices for hotels, restaurants, and pubs as contributing to the sense of Ireland being an expensive country, rather than high costs 'finding their way through' to bills in those establishments.
Also, ITIC's calls for investment would not sound quite so hollow if they did not coincide with the Oasis concerts this weekend.
When those concerts were announced, hotel prices for the relevant dates were hiked immediately, with many Dublin hotels charging twice their usual rate or more.
Can the hospitality industry really call for more State investment when many people perceive that parts of that industry are also gouging customers?
Heroic action restores faith
It is just a couple of months since we had the horrifying case of a man drowning in the River Lee as onlookers chose to film the event rather than trying to help.
On that occasion, both the dead man's family and the emergency services were understandably critical of those onlookers, and the situation prompted a general debate about morality and ethics in modern life.
It is good to report, then, that a similar situation that also arose in the Lee recently had a better outcome. As reported here, Mohammed Khathiri saved a woman from drowning when she went into the water at George's Quay last week.
Looking out his window, Mr Khathiri realised the woman had fallen in, and he ran down to the quayside and jumped into the river to help the woman, pulling her to safety by the quay wall.
'It's just important to save humanity, to be human, and the only way I was able to do it was to run down and get her to safety,' he told Imasha Costa of this parish.
It is surely instructive that Mr Khathiri, a father of four who works as a cleaner, chose not to livestream the events unfolding in front of him but instead opted to try to save someone.
One would not have thought it necessary to point out that this is by far the better option, but events last May suggest otherwise, and Mr Khathiri's example is all the more valuable as a result.
In addition, Mr Khathiri was not born in Ireland. He is originally from Morocco and has lived in Ireland for two years. His instinctive reaction to save another person is a vivid
retort to the anti-immigrant sentiment and racist rhetoric that is growing in this country.
'I thank everyone who has called me a hero,' Mr Khathiri told this newspaper. 'But I only did what anyone should do, what any human being would do.'
Valued tourism
Elsewhere on this page, readers can ponder the value for money to be had in Irish tourism, but an event currently under way in Cork shows that such value can still be found.
The Cork on a Fork programme features many of the city and county's finest chefs, food businesses, local producers and growers, with over 100 events including unique dining experiences, street feasts, talks and demos, food trails, and brewery and distillery tours.
Many of the events are free of charge.
The event underlines the standing of Cork city and county as Ireland's food destination, but it might also be a useful template for tourism across the country in the way local producers of all types, local retail outlets, and local restaurants are involved in the programme.
For instance, the very first Cork On A Fork was floated as an idea as recently as 2022 — the speed with which it has become a highlight of the summer on Leeside shows how commitment, energy, and enthusiasm can establish an event in the civic calendar.
For more information, see irishexaminer.com and CorkOnAForkFest.ie.