Dublin is a vital contributor to Irish tourism and during 2017 our near record breaking visitation levels – 5.8 million overseas tourists- are testament to Dublin’s international reputation as a vibrant, culturally rich and exciting destination.
Despite significant challenges in the macro operating environment, Dublin is on a strong footing – with high hotel occupancy levels, increased inbound aviation capacity, including direct flights from China for the first time ever this June. Our tourism businesses are thriving with a momentum expected to continue, our aim for 2018 is to have 6 million overseas tourists delivering circa €2.18 billion to the Irish exchequer.
The core focus of Fáilte Ireland is to collectively strive for success by working with our Local Authorities and partners on industry efforts helping Dublin tourism businesses to extend their reach and assert a greater presence for the international visitor. Integral to Fáilte Ireland’s Dublin strategy is to increase seasonality by building out the shoulder season months (November through to February) to utilise spare room availability during this period as well as promoting the dispersion of visitors right throughout the city and county. Dublin will benefit economically from an increase in tourism and Fáilte Ireland are working closely with the four Dublin Local Authorities to develop and promote Dublin as a must see tourism destination. We promote Dublin as more than a city but also as a destination that is nestled alongside mountains and sea.
Our annual international campaign promotes Dublin under a single brand narrative. Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland on behalf of the four Local Authorities and the Dublin Hotel Industry delivered a bespoke public/private funded overseas marketing campaign which sought to drive incremental business to Dublin from our key source markets of Great Britain, the United States and Europe during the shoulder season. The campaign creatively promoted the unexpected variety of experiences on offer to those who visit Dublin. This €1.7m campaign was extremely successful and this year’s campaign is currently being planned to build on this success.
The development of clear tourism related products and increased access gives compelling and motivating reasons to experience more across the geography of Dublin. With this in mind we are also working on developing a five year visitor orientation strategy & implementation plan for Dublin. The objective is to help visitors travel around Dublin by public transport, bike and on foot – and to do this with ease and confidence. This strategy is supported by the four local authorities the National Transport Authority and funded by Fáilte Ireland.
“This will mean better navigation to improve overall visitor satisfaction levels encouraging visitors to experience not only our city centre offering but also our coastal villages and mountain experiences.”
Another key focus of our strategy is to build brilliant visitor experiences across Dublin. In the autumn, we will launch a small grants scheme for Dublin’s tourism businesses that will enhance the visitor experience through clever interpretation and visitor management.
The tourism season for 2018 has certainly gotten off to an extremely positive start and we will continue to work through our strong partnerships with the Dublin Local Authorities and Dublin’s tourism providers to ensure that we can realise Dublin’s full tourism potential.
Creating a tourism brand for Dublin’s Outdoors
South Dublin County’s first tourism destination brand, “Dublin’s Outdoors”, is a celebration of the beauty of the mountains, waterways and parks of South Dublin County. Throughout the brand’s development, the outdoors and natural amenities stood out in terms of what people living and working in South Dublin County were proudest of. Culture and heritage was also a reoccurring theme and something locals would choose to recommend as part of an overall visitor experience. The brand values; ‘freedom, tranquillity, nature, freshness and adventure’ were developed as it is easy to enjoy the outdoor recreational activities, stories and food, whether in the mountains, along the River Liffey or in the small towns and villages in South Dublin County.
“Dublin’s Outdoors” also complements the national brand for the capital, adding “freedom, tranquillity, nature, freshness and adventure” to the “exciting and upbeat” feeling the capital aims to create for visitors. It was important when developing “Dublin’s Outdoors” to ensure that it aligned with the wider Dublin marketing brand. “Dublin’s Outdoors” reflects the wider values and includes adventure, its people and the serenity of nature together in one place.
South Dublin County Council welcomes you to ‘Dublin’s Outdoors’ and the opportunity to unlock the treasures, places and stories of South Dublin County.
The Dublin programme is responsible for the promotion and development of Dublin’s tourism industry.
