Written Answers. - Bord Fáilte Survey.
Liz McManus
Question:
32
Ms McManus
asked the
Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation
his views of the implications for Irish tourism of the findings of the recent Bord Fáilte survey on attitudes of tourists which found, in particular, dissatisfaction with car hire, Ireland's suitability for all-year round holidays, litter and pollution; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[15918/00]
According to Bord Fáilte's 1999 visitor attitude survey, nine out of every ten holiday makers said that their experience of Ireland matched or exceeded their expectations. Only 6% were dissatisfied with their Irish holiday compared to 5% in 1997. The main contributors to visitors' positive experiences were scenery and people. Areas of dissatisfaction were competitiveness of car hire, weather and litter-pollution.
We cannot be complacent about our environment, scenery and the welcome given to tourists. These and other elements of Ireland and Irish life are all crucial to the enjoyment of the experience by overseas visitors. Any significant diminution of their attractiveness will obviously impact adversely on the market place. It is for this reason that Bord Fáilte monitors visitor attitudes.
The tourism industry is, of course, well aware of the importance of visitor perception and satisfaction levels. The Irish Tourism Industry Confederation has initiated a people and place programme, which was supported by the tourism environment initiative, under the tourism operational programme, 1994-1999, to raise the awareness of the importance of tourism and particularly of extending a warm welcome to our visitors.
Tourism flows both in domestic and international markets, are now spread across a greater part of the year than heretofore, and the aim is to increase seasonal spread even further. My focus will continue to be to facilitate the creation of a marketing strategy which can spread visitor numbers over time and help generate better regional spread. This will help to reduce pressures resulting from unnecessary over-concentration in time and place of tourism, in individual localities.
I am delighted to see that a recent report suggests that our water quality is improving, and my views on the litter issue are well known. I know that local authorities are now taking a more proactive role in eradicating litter. I am also aware that the National Anti-Litter Forum, established by the Minister for the Environment and Local Government last July to assess current anti-litter initiatives and to formulate a programme of action that enhances and extends these initiatives, is due to report shortly. The forum is expected to come up with a list of priorities, but while its report may well come up with actions which public authorities can take on this issue, I think that we also have to acknowledge the sad fact that litter is generated by individual citizens and it is only a major change in attitude by individuals that will eradicate the problem. We have been tolerant of litter for far too long. It is time for change. We do not just owe it to our visitors, we owe it to ourselves. In that context, I hope that the report of the forum can mark the beginning of a sea-change in attitudes on this issue.
Finally, in relation to car hire, while the levels of quality and customer service are relatively high, 23% of visitors who rented a car did express dissatisfaction in terms of price. Price in this sector is affected by issues such as duration of rentals, insurance premia, energy costs, replacement rates, etc. The car rental sector will need to continue to be aware of the need to be competitive, particularly in the light of the considerable expansion in fleet size over recent years, to meet ongoing growth in demand.
