- 300,000 fewer English trips here
- 1,900 tourism jobs lost
- Impact softened by rise from other markets
- €1m package of interventions
Fáilte Ireland has launched the first of a series of regional industry briefings on Brexit as it met with Dublin tourism businesses in Croke Park. It gave city tourism industry members details about its ‘Get Brexit Ready’ programme, industry supports designed to help businesses at risk or already struggling with the loss of trade created by Brexit.
Dublin Tourism operators were told how the programme allows individual businesses to self-assess their exposures and risks and provides a range of interventions to match their needs. The capital was identified as one of the areas under threat from falling numbers of visitors from England, Scotland and Wales as sterling weakens against the euro.
Fáilte Ireland estimates that Brexit will have meant 300,000 fewer English trips here which, taken in isolation, would represent €88m in revenue and an estimated 1,900 tourism jobs lost had the fall in English numbers not been compensated by a strong performance in other markets.
Niall Gibbons, Tourism Ireland CEO, Keelin Fagan, Head of Dublin, Failte Ireland and Failte Ireland CEO Paul Kelly, prior to the first of the Failte Ireland Regional Industry Briefings which took place in Croke Park, Dublin.
Photo Chris Bellew /Fennell Photography.
“Brexit highlights the extent to which tourism is at the mercy of external factors beyond our control. However, we can meet our current challenges by working on those things which remain within our control – our visitor experiences, competitiveness, capacity and skills,” Fáilte Ireland CEO Paul Kelly said.
“We are delivering this programme to support tourism businesses, in Dublin and beyond. We have taken care to design these supports in an innovative and accessible manner – allowing tourism businesses to continue to battle for British business while also diversifying into other markets with great potential.”
The ‘Get Brexit Ready’ programme has a dedicated ‘Get Brexit Ready’ web presence and ‘Brexit-check’ – an online tool whereby an individual business can input their own data to determine how Brexit ready they are – as well as links to a series of market insights, tips and research to help tourism operators to recalibrate their businesses appropriately to navigate through Brexit related uncertainty in Britain and other markets.
Fáilte Ireland is rolling out the initial phase of the programme in an initial €1m package of interventions for up to 1,000 businesses in the last three months of this year – with further supports and budget to be earmarked for 2018.
