Wish you were here ...but not just yet
TOURISM operators in West Kerry are sending a message to the world to say ‘we miss you, but don’t come here just yet’ as part of a social media marketing campaign launched this week by the Dingle Peninsula Tourism Alliance (DPTA).
The campaign offers tourism business that are closed down or barely ticking over at the moment a means of staying in touch with friends, customers and potential visitors who will be very welcome in West Kerry as the coronavirus lockdown is gradually lifted over the coming months.
“The idea is to get the message across that we’re asking people to stay away for now but we’re working hard to make sure the place is safe for people when they are able to return,” said DPTA Marketing Consultant Caroline Boland.
The campaign will be launched this Thursday but already local businesses have seized the opportunity to say hello to the world. The messages currently posted on social media using the #DinglePeninsulaMissingYou hashtag include a video by Mara Beo Manager Máire Ó Sé who assures people that: “We’re closed at the moment but don’t worry all our team are working hard to care for all the animals. We miss all our visitors… and we look forward to welcoming you all back when it’s safe to do so.
Another message from Murphy’s pub in Brandon presents an alluring picture of a pint and a ‘meejum’ on the sea wall outside the pub and the text:
“Anybody dreaming of a freshly pulled pint of Guinness by the sea? Sometimes it’s the simple things in life we miss most! Hopefully with patience and time, scenes like this in the beautiful village of Brandon will become reality again.”
Meanwhile, Caroline said tourism operators in West Kerry are very worried about the ongoing implications of social distancing requirements and how these will be managed by businesses when they are allowed reopen.
She said issues surrounding holiday house rentals provide just one example of the kind of difficulties businesses will face: “Families make good guests but there is concern about people who want to come here to party and concern especially about how neighbours might feel about visitors who, they feel, could pose a risk of bringing coronavirus into the local community.”
“We want people to come here, stay for a long while, go to restaurants and bars. But it has to be with respect for the local community,” she added. “People have to behave properly. People have to come here with respect for the local community, not to party hard.”