To many, Ireland once seemed a destination that took too long to get to, involving alot of hassle and costing a fair bit of money.
Nowdays, nothing could be further from the truth. Ireland represents a destination offering great value to the customer, whilst still providing the excellent tourist experience which Ireland always had and will never lose.
The Ireland of today is a different place than it was 5 short years ago. Following the financial crash of 2008, Ireland suffered the biggest financial and economic meltdown in its history, yet strangely enough, this spectacular financial fall from grace has led to better opportunities for both tourists from abroad and tourist providers alike in Ireland.
How has this come about? Well first and foremost, the valuable tourist is now in a position of strength, as they have so much choice in choosing cheap Ireland accommodation, from hotels to self catering esthablishments, a choice of good value airfares, car hire and price reductions in tourist attractions.
Providers have got the chance to become even more appealing again to the price conscious tourist. As a result, those who lost their competitive edge during the boom can reach out and embrace the tourist, offer better value and remind the world of why Ireland is such a great place to be. Ireland has for such a long time been one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the world; in fact in 2007 a reported 9 million visitors travelled to our shores, so the opportunities are there.
A stay in an Irish hotel now offers great value - you can spend a night in the cosmopolitan and modern capital city of Dublin for around €70 a hotelroom. It is imperative that visitors do their homework before they travel to Ireland, if you shop around you will get great value.
The message is clear from Ireland’s new Minister for Tourism Mr Leo Varadkar of Fine Gael. He states that Ireland is not as expensive to visit as it once was, providers have had to adapt to the changing times, and visitors will get an even more enhanced Irish tourist experience because of this. Hotels are at a great low price, and that’s one of he most important elements of the tourist mix taken care of - the accommodation.
Why are hotel prices so low, and now considered to be the most competitive in Europe? Well there are a number of reasons for this, and the property boom and bust is a major reason. National Governments in the past gave generous tax breaks to property developers so as to construct hotels with affable banks all too willing to hand over the finance for these projects.
After the implosion of the markets, these property tycoons and banks fell into bankruptcy, hence the government bank bailout. It is said that over 300 Irish hotels are now owned by the Irish Government and banks abroad. They are charging low rates and this is a huge saving for the traveller on budget, or simply those looking for a bargain break.
Our advice is - ‘Shop Around’. Ireland has a magnificent tourist infrastructure, and thewarm welcome will always be present here, so discover it for yourself!
If you are travelling to Ireland in 2011 or have been recently please let us know your thoughts in the comments box below. Thank You.
