The Gathering 2013

Didn't find a thread on this anywhere else so starting a new thread on this in current affairs (as opposed to say Other Stuff/Entertainment/Travel) as I believe there's a distinctly political aspect to it.

I spent some time on the official website which is a little thin on why there's a 'Gathering' or indeed what the objectives are but a single sentence about 'stimulating local industries' apart it appears, reading between the lines to be about artifically pumping the cost of a hotel bed for a year. That in itself is worrying as the gathering is entirely frixated on 2013 -oblivious seemingly that there's a 2014 coming right after it.

In short, I found not one reference or even inference of value for money on the site. Not one.

The theory seems to be -get your aunties, uncles, cousins, penpals and anyone else that thinks Ireland is cute in here and spending in 2013.

Maybe it's the shortsightedness of it I find off-putting -but what if these 'invitees' go home feeling ripped off?

A pretty damning report recently discussed on the Last Word had some staggering statistics for anyone in involved in tourism or hospitality in Ireland.

Seemingly just 2% of first time visitors to Ireland bother to darken our doorstep ever again. This does not rate favourably with comparable countries with a comparable 'product'. Scotland turn 40% of first time visitors into return visitors. That tells me there is a problem with the Irish tourism product and we shouldn't be getting up onstage till we've done a bit more rehearsing...

Judging by the targets set and missed by Scotland's Homecoming, the organisers have their work cut out to make a success of the venture.

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Originally Posted by Lionel Ritchie

A pretty damning report recently discussed on the Last Word had some staggering statistics for anyone in involved in tourism or hospitality in Ireland.

Seemingly just 2% of first time visitors to Ireland bother to darken our doorstep ever again. This does not rate favourably with comparable countries with a comparable 'product'. Scotland turn 40% of first time visitors into return visitors. That tells me there is a problem with the Irish tourism product and we shouldn't be getting up onstage till we've done a bit more rehearsing...

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Interesting figures, though more specifics are needed - how many tourists, and where did they come from, and for how long did they stay in Ireland, and why did they choose Ireland.

But it doesn't surprise me that there is a low % of returning tourists - through the eyes of some of my non-Irish friends, it's a cold wet dirty country with rude drunk people.

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Originally Posted by osarusan

Interesting figures, though more specifics are needed - how many tourists, and where did they come from, and for how long did they stay in Ireland, and why did they choose Ireland.

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I don't have those specifics Osasuran but they were going out of their way to compare like with like citing factors like climate/weather, range of activities available and connectivity.

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Originally Posted by osarusan

But it doesn't surprise me that there is a low % of returning tourists - through the eyes of some of my non-Irish friends, it's a cold wet dirty country with rude drunk people.

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...so is Scotland no? ;-)

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Originally Posted by culloty82

Judging by the targets set and missed by Scotland's Homecoming, the organisers have their work cut out to make a success of the venture.

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It does seem hopelessly optimistic going on those sums alright Culloty. I got an invite to/flyer for a public meeting here in Limerick last night that I was regrettably unable to attend. But the tone of the flyer had alarm bells ringing already - "Irelands Year-long Festival of Festivals". I'll put the house on it that will involve a year long festival of festival prices.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...326182924.html

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Former cultural ambassador Gabriel Byrne has dismissed The Gathering as a “scam” and said it amounted to a “shakedown” of the Irish disapora.

Byrne criticised the Government’s flagship tourism programme which aims to bring 325,000 visitors to Ireland next year and said Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s speech launching it recently had not gone down well in Irish-America.

Speaking on Today FM’s The Last Word with Matt Cooper yesterday, he said Irish-Americans were seen only as tourists to be milked for a “few quid” and most Irish people did not understand the spiritual connection that the diaspora felt with Ireland.

“Most people don’t give a **** about the diaspora except to shake them down for a few quid. I remember when I was growing up in Dublin those buses would pull up and those people in Burberry coats would be laughed at because they’d say ‘here come the Yanks looking for their roots’.

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While I might agree with Byrne, I wouldn't imagine he speaks for "Irish Americans" either.

I don't see The Gathering doing any harm - not sure it will make a whole lot of difference either. I could see recent emigrants being as angry as Byrne, but doubt he's representative. I always felt the main target was really the "I've got Irish Roots" T-Shirt brigade tbh.

For what it's worth, out village is organising a festival for The Gathering. Trial run this summer went ok. If it's a success I'd say it will probably carry on regardless.

Just heard a measured response from actress Mary McEvoy on the wireless. Asked if she agreed with Gabriel Byrnes view she said not really but as the guy is a former tourism/cultural ambassador maybe this was his experience and maybe the likes of Tourism Ireland and Leo Varadkar should stop shooting the messenger and see is there anything that can be done to assauge his concerns rather than just putting him down as a minority malcontent.