HOTELIERS ISSUE WARNING ABOUT COMPLACENCY
BREXIT remains the major concern for the hotel sector in Wicklow as we approach the start of a New Year.
UK visitors to Ireland are down 6 per cent year on year, with 59 per cent of hoteliers and guesthouse owners nationally stating that the weakened Sterling has had a negative effect on business this year.
A growth on overseas visitors from elsewhere, combined with a strong domestic market, has so far helped compensate for the fall in tourists from the UK. The numbers of visitors from the US, France and Germany in particular continue to rise.
Brian McNamara, Chair of the IHF’s Wicklow branch warns that the tourism and hospitality sector cannot afford to be complacent about the future.
‘The continued fall-out from Brexit and the slowdown in visitor growth are worrying as they have a significant regional bias. For too long we have had a two-tier tourism sector where businesses in the major cities and tourism hotspots benefit more than the regions.
‘We must diversify into new markets and we welcome the work being done in that regard. However, it cannot be at the expense of our existing markets, particularly the UK, which has the broadest regional and seasonal spread of visitors,’ said Mr McNamara.
Tourism currently supports 8,900 jobs in Wicklow and contributes some €154m to the local economy annually.
Many hoteliers are already planning to improve and increase their marketing strategies and also recruit further staff members.
‘Time and again tourism has shown itself to be an excellent investment for every euro spent in destination marketing,’ said Mr McNamara.
‘Our survey shows that hoteliers are planning to increase their own marketing spend next year too but more targeted investment is needed particularly in regional marketing support and in the development of new and engaging products. Hoteliers in Wicklow and across the country are investing in their properties and in staff recruitment and development to ensure that we continue to be an attractive, value for money destination for all visitors and especially visitors from the UK.’
Nationally, nearly nine in ten hoteliers (86 per cent) plan to undertake refurbishment or capital investment projects over the next year while over half (53 per cent) expect to increase their staff levels in 2018, with most intending to recruit staff across all levels of their business.
Christmas events and parties are also increasingly becoming a major part of business for hotels, as expressed by 55 per cent of hoteliers. 47 per cent have also reported an increase in business this Christmas compared to last year, with a third intending to take on additional staff for the festive period. The survey also found that insurance, wage costs and local authority rates were other major business worries. LARKINS Brewing Company, a new micro-brewery founded in Kilcoole, has been selected for Food Works, Ireland’s leading accelerator programme for food and drink start-ups.
Run by Bord Bia, Enterprise Ireland and Teagasc, over the last five years the Food Works programme has worked with 76 food and drink companies to encourage innovative new product ideas, while supporting the growth of the sector on a global scale.
Following a rigorous selection process, Larkins Brewing Company was among nine ambitious Irish food and drink companies selected to take part in Food Works 2018.
Founded by Cillian Fahey and his family, Larkins is developing a new range of beers, currently with a strong focus on lager, from a production facility in Kilcoole with a single batch capacity of approximately 3,300 litres and 10 fermentation tanks.
Speaking about the opportunity, Cillian Fahey said: ‘for Larkin’s Brewing Company to be accepted on the Food Works programme is really important to us in terms of being able to scale out business, becoming investor-ready and having access to some of the best mentors in the country in our sector which is going to stand us in good stead for the future.’