Tourism | Business Post

The Big Interview

'We're pulling all the levers to get drivers, but every bus operator is recruiting too' - Dervla McKay, Aircoach

The managing director of Aircoach says business is now bouncing back but that it’s very difficult to recruit enough drivers, as with the unsociable hours involved, the pandemic has made people reassess their priorities

Over 430 businesses get €4m in night-time economy funding

Venues such as pubs and art galleries awarded the funds from the Night-Time Economy Support Scheme to assist off-peak entertainment across the country

Center Parcs back in black with sales of €57m as Covid shadow recedes

Holiday village operator posted profit of €7.4m and forecasted that demand would rise higher than pre-pandemic levels

Bunratty renovation stymied by state bodies’ ownership row

Clare Co Council refuses to take over care of the major tourist attraction unless €15 million is put in place for renovation of heritage sites

John Walsh: Dublin is no hellscape – but neither is it delivering on its potential

Forward thinking, strategic planning and an elected mayor are all needed if the capital is to survive and thrive

Media & Marketing

Route to success: How CIE Tours is wooing new hearts in America

One of Ireland’s oldest tour companies is primarily located in the US, where its customer base is becoming ever more eclectic, its chief executive Elizabeth Crabill tells Emmet Ryan

Eoghan O’Mara Walsh: What the government must do for tourism in Budget 2023

There is understandably much talk of a cost-of-living crisis but we are also in the midst of a severe cost-of-business crisis

The Big Interview

‘We’re going to get criticism ... it sharpens our game’ – Peter McKenna, Croke Park stadium director

Having worked at Croke Park for more than 20 years, the stadium director stresses the importance of taking risks as being a key factor in the venue’s ongoing modernisation and success

In pod they trust: Belfast-based glamping group Further Space seeks to expand

Firm has already has a site open in Co Wexford, and plans more there and in Mayo, Cork and Kerry

Fáilte Ireland plans to use mobile data to gather information on tourists’ movements

Tourism agency also wants to gather statistics on the Irish people leaving to holiday abroad through ‘strictly’ anonymised phone data

Restaurants want to split from hotels in lobbying on Vat rate

The RAI is concerned about being linked with certain accommodation providers accused of excessive pricing over the holiday season

Gridiron spectaculars in Ireland set to become an annual event

The next match of the college football series, founded by entrepreneurs Padraic O’Kane and John Anthony, will generate an estimated €63m in economic activity

Canadian investor takes 3.5% stake in Hostelworld

A subsidiary owned by Prem Watsa has bought just over four million shares in the Irish hostel-booking company, at a cost of about £4m

The Big Interview

‘In times of crisis, you want to be in control of your destiny’ – Gary Morrison of Hostelworld

Travel restrictions led to losses of €17.3 million for Dublin-headquartered Hostelworld in 2021 but now, with business almost back to pre-pandemic levels, its chief executive Gary Morrison is looking to the future and to other markets such as the over-35 solo traveller

Dermot O’Leary and Laura Whitmore among influencers employed by Tourism Ireland in €1.7m campaign

State’s tourism agency has for years brought celebrities and journalists to Ireland for ‘familiarisation visits’ designed to win positive media coverage

Analysts to upgrade Hostelworld forecasts as recovery continues

Booking demand into Europe is almost back to 2019 levels and in some places has even exceeded them, and all destinations are seeing an uptick

‘Closing the restaurant was heartbreaking; you feel like you’re letting people down’: Hospitality sector faces into an uncertain summer

Many in the industry are struggling due to increased costs and staff shortages, yet others are more upbeat about the prospects for a recovery in business over the next few months

Energy costs ‘impossible’ to predict, says Dalata chief

Dermot Crowley, chief executive of Ireland’s largest hotel group, assumes that energy costs for the group will be ‘multiples’ of its €10 million spend in 2019

Roz Purcell and Greg O’Shea among Fáilte Ireland influencers paid tens of thousands

State tourism agency has paid around €180,000 to influencers for social media campaigns selling different parts of Ireland

Fáilte Ireland says a third of tourism workers are new to sector

Agency plans to help upskill and retain new staff as hotels, restaurants and other businesses rush to fill an estimated 40,000 job vacancies