Seven wonders’ draw the crowds We talk to representatives of Mayo’s most popular attractions about tourism in the county in 2007.
{slide= Click here for more} Olof Gill IF you were to ask the average tourist what he or she thinks of when they hear ‘County Mayo’, they would most likely mention the Basilica at Knock, awesome Croagh Patrick or the unique archaeological and historical wonders at Céide Fields. Perhaps they would mention the world-renowned Foxford Woollen Mills, or beautiful Westport House, or Turlough House Museum of County Life (Ireland’s only national museum outside Dublin), or those of an adventurous inclination might name Delphi Adventure Centre.
These are some of the most famous tourist attractions in Mayo – sites that are built on, and often incorporate, the county’s incomparable scenic beauty. Spokespersons from each of these seven home-grown wonders talked to The Mayo News about tourism in this county in 2007. Are their numbers holding steady, growing or declining? Why do people come to Mayo? What are Mayo’s strengths and weaknesses as a tourist destination and what needs to be developed for the future?
On the plus side, all parties concerned were in agreement that Mayo’s potential to grow and develop as a tourist destination is almost unlimited. They were also unanimous in naming Ireland West Airport Knock (IWAK) as the ‘great white hope’ for Mayo tourism. This, they explained, is Mayo’s outstanding trump card, her secret weapon in fulfilling her true potential. If harnessed properly, IWAK will serve as the hub, the fulcrum for further tourism development in the county. One spokesperson drew a comparison with how Shannon Airport opened up tourism in the Kerry area, and pointed out that IWAK could potentially have a similar effect for Mayo and the west of Ireland.
There was also broad agreement that tourism in Mayo represents good value for money. Mayo’s unique and diverse attractions are worth premium prices, they argued, and are often significantly cheaper than the premium rates. The bottom line is that people are prepared to pay a fair amount for a unique experience, and Mayo is in a position to provide this.
On the minus side, a broad range of issues and difficulties emerged. The explosion of the ‘low-cost revolution’ in the aviation industry was a concern for many. Cheap flights have changed how people approach tourism. Tourists are now more likely to go on weekend breaks to cities than take longer holidays in rural areas. “Traditional tourism as we know it,” said one spokesperson, “is dead.” The implication is that the evolving patterns in tourism are causing rural Ireland to lose out. A lack of government investment in infrastructure and marketing was also cited as a problem.
Signage was commonly highlighted as a problematic issue. Without sufficient road signs, there was (a) no linkage between Mayo’s main attractions and (b) less chance of attracting the drop-in or casual tourist.
One spokesperson mentioned that a common complaint from visitors is that frontline service staff (often non-nationals) lack the language skills and historical knowledge to interact with tourists. This is due to a lack of sufficient training and investment in their language and knowledge base, it was suggested.
So what needs to be done? Which existing structures need to be built on and what new measures need to be taken?
‘Invest in IWAK’ seemed to be a unanimous answer. Improve infrastructure, notably public transport, to and from the airport. Increase the amount of literature and frontline tourism staff in the airport itself. And conduct targeted marketing campaigns worldwide in order to increase awareness of IWAK as the gateway to the west of Ireland. There were also some suggestions that the main attractions of Mayo should cooperate more, and adopt a more integrated approach to attracting visitors.
Overall, spokespersons from these ‘seven wonders’ are generally satisfied with the current state of tourism in Mayo and remain cautiously optimistic for the future. They are unanimous in their belief in Mayo’s brilliant potential, but concerned that not enough steps, and sometimes the wrong steps, are being taken. New and innovative strategies are, they say, the way forward. If it’s done right, the sky’s the limit.
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Don’t blame it all on the bad weather
Of course the weather’s inclemency has impinged on Mayo’s touristic woes
{slide=Click here for more} Aine Ryan OF COURSE the weather’s inclemency has impinged on Mayo’s touristic woes as the summer of 2007 ebbs weakly towards the inevitability of autumn. But it must be viewed alongside other key variables that, in the short-term (unlike reversing global warming), our policy-makers and tourism providers are in a position to redress.
Rigorous Mayo News analysis of the tourism accommodation bank in the county reveals definitive patterns: tourism numbers are falling; the B&B sector, particularly rural-based, is in serious trouble; the annual mid-July influx from northern Ireland has collapsed since the success of the peace process; angling tourism is still reeling from the drift-netting debacle; there is a glut of hotels in the county keenly competing for a dwindling market; Europeans prioritise value-for-money more than home-based customers.
On the upside, there are clear signs that niche tourism has significant growth potential; personal interaction and home-away-from-home ambiences create loyalty and significant repeat business.
Mary McCabe of Clare island’s Granuaile House on Clare confirms the centrality of repeat business and ‘the personal touch’. “We always like to meet and greet our guests who may need a warm cup of tea after getting off the ferry. While we have a lot of people returning, we also get regular groups of hillwalkers and divers. The hillwalkers come in groups and maybe visit a different island each year. We had a big group of Garda Sub-Aqua Club divers back in June,” said Mary McCabe. She confirmed this year’s July figures were significantly down, with June’s up.
“The weather is a big factor on an island. The minute the sun shines, the phone starts ringing,” she added. (Bed and Breakfast at McCabe’s is €40 pps and a four-course dinner is €30.)
However, island B&B business is not indicative of the flailing sector, which, according to numerous accounts, is on its knees. Mrs Betty Schultz, who has operated Kilcommon Lodge Hostel in north Mayo for 25 years, said their business is a whopping 70 per cent repeat.
“We like to have happy customers and provide value-for-money, which is a big priority with continental customers, more so than with the Irish. We have a lot of young families and we want them to feel at home,” she said. (An overnight stay in a seven or nine-bedroom dormitory is €12; a private room costs €15; a three-course dinner costs €14.)
Meanwhile, staying in the luxury of the four-star Mount Falcon Hotel, near Ballina, is about ten times more expensive, with the recently-opened hotel struggling with the collapse of angling tourism and the glut of hotel beds in the county. The fact that a new Ramada hotel, the Manor House, opened just up the road from it in recent months must also have an impact.
“Basically, we had no fishermen before May 12, due to the Government’s restrictions [only allowed catch one salmon]. The Moy is the healthiest river by four-fold in the entire country and yet we were subjected to the same draconian measures,” said Marketing Manager, Shane Moloney.
He observed that, in their first year of operation, they have had ‘to look very creatively at marketing’, with two-night breaks for couples from Dublin, Galway and Northern Ireland proving to be the most successful.
However, the hotel’s self-catering houses, costing between €1,500 and €1,700 per week at peak season, attract families for week-long and fortnight breaks.
One business that continues to thrive is the Knock Caravan and Camping Park and that’s despite the clear collapse of a mainstay annual twelfth of July trade from the North.
“The annual influx from the North around the 12th has definitely stopped. A certain amount of our business is to do with the shrine and we are also used as a touring base,” said Margaret Forde. She said the state-of-the-art caravan and camping park attracts a huge amount of retired British people, as well as European cyclists. (A six-berth luxury caravan costs €388 per week in July.)
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Historic house in Achill’s ‘colony’
Vi McDowell enjoys a luxury that most business people don’t countenance
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Áine Ryan
NONAGENARIAN, Vi McDowell enjoys a luxury that most business people don’t countenance: she operates her historic home, Gray’s Guesthouse, in Dugort, Achill Island, for the pure pleasure of it. Not surprising then that she was last year’s winner of the Georgina Campbell Host of the Year 2006. It’s almost 40 years since Mrs McDowell moved to her family’s ancestral home, once a Victorian hotel, and originally part of the famous colony developed by the Reverend Edward Nangle during the desperate Famine times of the early 19th century.
“I haven’t noticed much change in clientele at my guest house over the years, but it has changed on Achill. There are a lot of day-trippers coming now and people buying holiday homes,” said Mrs McDowell.
She had earlier observed to The Mayo News that ‘it was difficult to service a place properly and make a profit. “So we do it for pleasure,” she said. Some patrons of Gray’s Guesthouse have been returning for around 40 years, with second-generation guests, who came as children, now returning with their own families.
“They don’t complain about the weather. We have four lounges and the turf fires are lit each day from 9.30am. Of course, then on fine days they head off to the Foxford Woollen Mills, or to the lakes at Pontoon, or the Céide Fields, as well as touring the island itself,” she explained.
B&B at the 14-roomed guesthouse costs €55, and dinner is €32. Afternoon tea is also served by one of the eight staff, whom Mrs McDowell praises highly for their efficiency and loyalty.
Her patronage of the arts has led to a broad artistic clientele from all over the years and her development of the nearby Cyril Gray Memorial Hall as a gallery and centre.
Mrs McDowell’s unique venture will be featured on RTÉ’s Nationwide during September next.
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