98% would recommend an Irish holiday..
Record numbers attending national tourism trade fair reflects continuing popularity of an Irish holiday. Fáilte Ireland today published the findings of its 2008 Visitor Attitudes Survey which, once more, highlighted very high levels of satisfaction – with 98% of visitors saying that they would recommend a holiday in Ireland to family and friends.
The survey was carried out amongst 5,700 overseas holidaymakers who completed questionnaires between May to October, 2008. The survey is being published on the eve of Meitheal – the largest tourism trade fair in the State – which opens in the Burlington Hotel, Dublin tomorrow morning.
Welcoming the publication of today’s report and anticipating the opening of Meitheal tomorrow, Martin Cullen T.D., Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, said, “This Visitor Attitudes Survey is very encouraging and illustrates very high satisfaction levels as well as a strong commitment by our visitors to recommend an Irish holiday to both family and friends. That said, we cannot take such results for granted. The survey reflects the fact that our tourism product and quality of service is among the best there is. Our accommodation is modern and of high quality, there are more things to do and see and we continue to maintain and protect our natural assets and resources. I wish to congratulate the proactive hospitality industry for its commitment and the way it is adding value to these attractions through flexible pricing, value menus and special offers. This response by the industry to the demands of current international competition provides us with justifiable grounds for optimism for the future of the industry".
Why do visitors come to Ireland?
Fáilte Ireland's Visitor Attitudes Survey for 2008 records Ireland’s strong performance as a destination that stands out for the beauty of its scenery and the friendliness and hospitality of its people – with these two factors remaining the most prominent positive discriminators for Ireland compared with other holiday destinations. Our history and culture as well as the prospect of a relaxed pace of life also rate highly. The key ingredients for a satisfactory holiday varies somewhat amongst the different nationalities. For example, the suitability of the country for a touring holiday features strongly for North Americans who want to see much as possible of the country during their visit. Value for money features high on the agenda of British holidaymakers, while the range of natural attractions and the prospect of an unspoilt environment have a particular resonance for Mainland European visitors.
When it comes to the actual planning of a holiday in Ireland, personal recommendations remain the key factor with half of all visitors saying this influenced their choice. Of almost parallel importance, the Internet is mentioned by 48% of visitors as a factor in selecting Ireland and is now used by two in every three (67%) in actually planning their holiday. Guide books continue to play an important role, particularly for North American visitors, and are second to the Internet in terms of planning a holiday.
Do visitors enjoy their stay here?
The vast majority of holidaymakers were satisfied their holiday here - with high approval scores for those features originally identified as the top reasons for actually choosing Ireland. Across the main markets, beautiful scenery and the friendliness and hospitality of the Irish people receive consistently high satisfaction ratings. German holidaymakers are particularly satisfied with the nature, wildlife and flora Ireland has to offer. The relaxed pace earns a higher satisfaction score among North American and British visitors than other nationalities.
Overall, the levels of satisfaction with the key Irish holiday attributes were:
- Beautiful scenery (89%)
- Friendly and hospitable people (87%)
- Unspoilt environment (79%)
- Safe and secure (80%)
- Nature, wildlife, flora (77%)
- Easy, relaxed pace of life (77%)
- Interesting history and culture (74%)
- Good range of natural attractions (76%)
Satisfaction with quality and customer service received at tourism accommodation remains high, with top grade hotels, B&Bs and guesthouses scoring particularly high in these areas. Both self-catering accommodation and hostels enjoyed improved satisfaction ratings since 2007. While there was widespread satisfaction with tourism accommodation and services, the general cost of living in the wider economy received the highest level of spontaneous mention (22%) as a disadvantage. For British and North American holidaymakers, value for money concerns would have been exaggerated by poor currency exchange rates.
Are visitors likely to recommend Ireland?
At the end of the day, the key indicator of the success of any holiday is whether it would be recommended to others. As in previous years, the propensity to recommend Ireland remains at a high level with 98% recommending Ireland as a destination, including over eight in every ten (83%) saying they would do so unreservedly.The likelihood of holidaymakers returning also acts as another measure of the success of their holiday. One in five respondents anticipate coming back in the next year with a further 28% likely to return in the next few years. Again, these figures are extremely encouraging and reflect well on the quality of the experience which visitors enjoy.
Speaking on the results of the Survey, Shaun Quinn, CEO of Fáilte Ireland emphasised, "These results are extremely encouraging. Obviously the high levels of satisfaction with accommodation and the range of things to see and do reflects the enormous investment made in our tourism industry in recent years. Even the old bugbear of the quality of our roads is receding as an issue as the infrastructural spend of the last few years has taken effect. Despite the high levels of satisfaction with Ireland's tourism product, the cost of living in the wider economy remains an issue. However, our next survey should reflect the recent price readjustments which have occurred. Finally, the consistency across all nationalities of our welcome and our environment as key factors for satisfaction is striking. We are renowned as a green country and it makes good business sense that we maintain this unique selling point. Fáilte Ireland’s Environmental and Planning Unit is working at many different levels to ensure that we protect our natural assets while promoting an eco-friendly, sustainable tourism".
