Well.... are you?
This year is the first year Irish Tourism is back in full swing and full recovery since Covid. Guaranteed Irish would like to extend a big “Thank you” to all the backroom teams who kept one of our most vibrant and reliable economic sectors alive through extremely difficult times.
Our Tourism industry, often under-reported and under paid, felt like the abandoned relation in terms of economic sectors, yet it has been the backbone of the Irish economy for decades. It has trudged quietly along, adding colour, vibrancy, and often much needed part-time employment to many of our towns and villages.
So, as Irish tourism providers, here are a few opportunities that won’t cost you anything, and should help that bottom line.
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Dial up your Irishness: visitors, from home and abroad, want to experience authenticity. If you are a member of Guaranteed Irish, you can deliver this by prominently promoting your branded collateral. With a 74% recognition of the green g, it’s a no-brainer. 99% of consumers want to buy Irish and 83% of those are influenced by the iconic ‘G’ (research undertaken by SuperValu with their consumers in May 2023).
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Provenance sells: As a hotelier/ restaurant owner, mention that you are using ‘locally grown food and locally brewed drink on your counter tops/ menus- beer, gin, whiskey, fruit juices, waters. Swop out non-local for local wherever possible and tell your customers about your move to become more sustainable- this resonates but most importantly, local, and homegrown, always tastes better. Even better, bring in some of your local suppliers and delight your customers by introducing them to your customers- meet the maker/grower.
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Train your staff: Even the part-time summer students- they can’t upsell your menu/accommodation/services/shop unless you educate them on what it is you are selling- from coffee to concerts, from gifts to fashion - they need to be able to communicate with knowledge. Invest time in preparing an induction programme for everyone. A well trained member of staff is a happy member of staff and a happy customer experience is more likely to bring repeat experience.
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Gather feedback from your existing customers - there are approximately five million overseas visitors expected to visit Ireland - so we have to learn from their time here - how can we improve daily? Don’t wait for next season - let’s make those changes daily basis. Continuous improvement is the way to go. Every day is a school day in business.
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Involve your local community: Trad music, poetry recitals, bake and make programmes, concerts/gigs- this adds to the authenticity of the customer experience as well as building new and local relations with your neighbours. Not to mention a rising tide and those lifting boats…a successful business can be measured by its impact on the local community- part-time work, local produce, local entertainment etc. Make everyone a winner.
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Keep it sustainable: Repeat home grown business is a sure way to reduce carbon footprints and its cool again now to staycation- and let’s be honest, is there anywhere nicer than Ireland on a fine day.
July marks Tourism month in Guaranteed Irish - it’s the time of the year where we shine a light on the tourism and hospitality sector across Ireland- after all we are the ‘home of a thousand welcomes’, so let’s celebrate it and dial it up.
With ever growing international inbound visitor figures, we are no longer the abandoned relation, but a destination of choice. So, let’s make it one to remember and we can start by celebrating the 325,000 people working in tourism in Ireland.
We at Guaranteed Irish welcome the opportunity to champion you this month. So, we would also like you to get involved and join the community that is #AllTogetherBetter.
For further information on how to become a member of Guaranteed Irish, visit https://www.guaranteedirish.ie/why-join-us/
Brid O’Connell
CEO Guaranteed Irish