Golfers Visit East Coast 'Alliance'

Fifty of the top golf tour operators from around Europe are in Ireland this week, as guests of the Dublin East Coast Golf Alliance – which co

mprises the K Club, Carton House, Powerscourt Golf Club, The Island and Druids Glen. During their time here, they will have the chance to try out each of the five clubs who are part of the alliance. The visit of the golf tour operators, from Britain, Germany and the Nordic Region,  is supported by Tourism Ireland.

The group is pictured with David Boyce, Tourism Ireland (second row, centre).

David Boyce, Tourism Ireland’s head of business and sports tourism, said: “Dublin and the East Coast around counties Kildare and Wicklow boast some fantastic golf courses and the visit of these influential golf tour operators is an excellent opportunity for us to highlight them in Britain and Mainland Europe. There really is no substitute for being able to come and experience our golf courses at first-hand; it helps these influential tour operators know exactly what we have to offer and to sell more effectively when they return home, encouraging their clients in GB and Mainland Europe to come here for a golfing holiday and play the courses for themselves.”

Golf is a major focus for Tourism Ireland in GB and in other main markets and the organisation has a busy schedule of promotions in place to grow the number of golf tourists in 2012 and beyond. Golf is the world’s largest sports-related travel market and, using the headline ‘Golf in Ireland – Time to Play’, Tourism Ireland is working hard to drive home the message that a golfing holiday here is about much more than a round of 18 holes.

'Sports Can Inspire', says O'Connell

'A sports stadium can be a metaphor for our industry and ourselves as professionals, who must progress in a highly competitive environment in which world-class standards are demanded', Feargal O'Connell, president of the Irish Hospitality Institute said to-day.

He was speaking at the opening of the IHI National Management Conference in the Aviva Stadium.

'We have already seen Irish sportsmen and women achieve such standards this year as our teams head for the London Olympics, the European Football Championships and the Heineken Cup Final', he said.

'As a nation', he said, 'Ireland also must achieve Best Practice across a wide range of activity, if it is to prosper in an ultra-competitive world. We have been seriously challenged in recent years by economic and financial turmoil both at home and abroad and it is I believe recognised, that as a nation, we have responded to the challenge of managing economic adversity with professionalism, pragmatism and responsibility.

These endeavours are already showing signs of bearing fruit with the emergence of more favourable schemes of debt servicing, a glimmer of economic growth and the outstanding success of our export sector.

We should of course remember that physical exports are only one aspect of this success story. Tourism is also one of our most valuable export industries and it has returned to growth sooner, and at a rate which has exceeded many expectations. Over the past year, visitor  numbers began to grow again after three years of decline and confidence returned to many businesses in our sector. The rise of 6.7% in the number of overseas visitors to 6.26m., brought with it an increase of 4.4% in revenue and a significant contribution of €3.6bn. to the Irish economy. While these figures still remain well short of the numbers and revenue achieved at the peak of the economic boom, they nevertheless are a clear indication that tourism is growing again with every likelihood that the trend will continue throughout the peak Summer season which we are now entering. Figures for the first quater of the year do reveal a slight fall compared to the same period of 2011, but the industry is nevertheless confident that this trend can be reversed over the peak Summer months. The announcement by the Minister for Tourism that the preferential rate of VAT will be maintained into 2013 is most welcome as is his decision to restore independence of operation to Shannon Airport with an elimination of its nett debt. This decision provides Shannon and its famously entrepreneurial management with an opportunity of growing both air traffic and tourism to the Mid West Region.

The numbers working in our industry have fallen from a peak of 250,000 in 2007 to around 180,000 to-day, but it is worth remembering that our hospitality industry accounts for one in every ten employees in Ireland. We continue to provide career paths for our employees and to participate in the Government’s JobBridge programme which has already provided more than 4,600 Internships, many of which are within the hospitality sector.

These, and indeed other jobs within the economy, ultimately depend on our ability to remain competitive in a highly challenging environment and this competitiveness in turn is heavily dependent on management skills and professionalism.

The Irish Hospitality Institute has, since its foundation, recognised the importance of professionalism in the industry and has championed its cause. We realise that those who manage hotels, restaurants, catering businesses, visitor attractions, events, venues and much more are responsible not only for the commercial and operational success of these enterprises, but also for the leadership and development of staff. We number among our members specialists in general management, finance, human resources, marketing, sales, operations and other disciplines who collectively are the key leaders and decision-makers within our industry. Our membership also includes educators, consultants, trainers and key managers within relevant Government agencies who support the industry through a wide range of activities.

It is vital to the future of tourism and hospitality in Ireland therefore that this diverse organisation of professionals should operate at the cutting edge of their specialisations in order to deliver world-class service to the industry and to their country. It is for this reason that the core activity of our Institute is the promotion and facilitation of management development. This is our mission, our goal and is central to all of our activity.

The Institute has focussed strongly on this core mission over the past year and has incorporated key steps towards its achievement in the ‘IHI Strategic Plan 2012-2014’ which sets out clear objectives including the introduction of mandatory Continuous Professional Development from 2012. This strategic innovation is I believe, among the most significant we have ever undertaken and provides a foundation on which the status and recognition of our Institute can be enhanced into the future. It provides a tool which enables our members to manage their own CPD with guidance from the Institute and to gain formal CPD accredited status which can be of immense benefit to the furtherance of careers. As part of this initiative we have  formed a new partnership with key industry trainers who will offer a series of programmes designed to upgrade skills in IT, sales and marketing, management, finance, revenue, health and safety, environmental management and other disciplines. I urge all IHI members to participate in the new CPD programme and to continue to invest in the development and expansion of management skills.

As part of our commitment to nurturing and developing the next generation of hospitality industry managers, the Institute has stepped up its involvement with the education sector. In addition to a series of visits to Colleges and Institutes of Education and the highly successful National Hospitality Business Management Game, we have now moved to accredit each graduate from a recognised management course to membership of IHI. We are confident that a large number of these new graduates will become active in the Institute and will warmly welcome the new CDP membership requirement.

In our Strategic Plan we have also sought to practice what we preach by offering our membership a range of quality services and exceptional value. In this context, may I remind you of some of the key benefits which come with membership of IHI. They include discounts on educational programmes, a mine of relevant information on our website, subscription to trade magazines, and of course many networking opportunities at our conferences and social events. Members receive a monthly e-zene and other communications while the  www.hospitalityenews.com website continues to grow in popularity and influence, bringing IHI members a news services updated in real time.  We are conscious of the rapid changes which are taking place in the world of communications coupled with the time pressures experienced by our membership. I believe however that the most valuable form of networking is face to face communication and that IHI conferences such as this provide an ideal platform for such communication between industry professionals.

We have chosen as the theme for our Conference ‘Business Succession Through People Progression’ , which will enable our distinguished panel of speakers to explore many current issues related to the progression of businesses and the role of owners and professional managers in achieving current and long term success. I believe that to-day’s discussions will provide the basis of much thought and reflection for all of us and I look forward to the varied contributions and the guiding influence of our Conference Chairman Sarah Grennan, editor of ‘Hotel and Catering Review’.