'Ireland of the Frosty Fáilte'! Tourism reopens for business

[pete2]

..The Italians like us because they think we are a lot like them – easy-going, lively, young in spirit. The Danes compare us favourably to the Thais – smiling, friendly, service-minded – “I don’t think I’ve ever met an unfriendly Irish person,” says one. The French deem us to be welcoming and they like our nice, safe country.
..they were hard-nosed foreign tour operators participating in a tourism trade fair in Dublin’s Burlington Hotel this week. An annual event sponsored by Fáilte Ireland and titled Meitheal, it attracted nearly 300 overseas operators from five continents, here to haggle and – chief among this year’s tasks – discover if the Irish have addressed the rip-off factor.
..Brian McColgan, the chairman of Abbey Tours, a 30-year-old company that brought in nearly 100,000 tourists last year, smiles the wry smile that says “do not be deceived”. This year is about survival...

For 2009, McColgan can already predict that US business will be down 20-40 per cent; British business is stagnant, and the European market is slightly down... “It’s about customers, cash and costs,” says Jane Magnier, managing director of Abbey Tours.
..desperate hoteliers were paring prices back to 2002 levels. One operator said that prices were down by up to 25 per cent in some cases. “Haggling,” says Shaun Quinn, chief executive of Fáilte Ireland, “is a whole new experience. There is a realisation on both sides that things got out of hand, across the board.” He denies any industry profiteering, however: “Six or seven years ago, 25 per cent of average hotel costs was staff; [COLOR=Red]now it’s 45-50 per cent in some cases[/COLOR].”..
“The Celtic Tiger was no friend to tourism,” says Jim Deegan of Railtours Ireland. “We became too busy; tourism slid down the pecking order. Tourists were only getting in the way of us getting in the way of ourselves – whether it was roads, airports or public transport. We started losing the welcome. We were meeting customers who were saying ‘You’re the first Irish we’ve met’.

It's all smiles as 'Ireland of the welcomes' reopens for business - The Irish Times - Sat, May 02, 2009


Lets look at what happened

• Back in 2001 30% of tourism staff were already foreign
• In 2006 there were warnings that reliance on foreign staff was turning off tourists
• Strangely in 2007 Failte Ireland announced a "strategy" to rely more heavily on foreign staff
• Now in 2009 the industry is in the toilet, there are more warnings and we are told that costs associated with staffing are in some cases "45-50%" higher than back in 2001. How can this be?

This is a new phenomena called the "frosty fáilte" as those foreign young workers invited here under EU freedom of labor rules price Irish workers out of the market. So its no longer even possible to rely on the tourism.

When will these people ever cop on to the fact that tourists visit to Ireland to experience Irish culture and friendly Irish people not sour east europeans and chinese? If they wanted that they would have gone there.

[cactusflower]

Irish hotel workers are not any more or less friendly than any other hotel workers.

[pete2]

Righto, the experts disagree although hes understandably reticent to call it as it is;

On the issue of the frosty fáilte, Shaun Quinn believes “it was partly because more international staff were being employed, but there was also an age factor. Women who were working in the home and wanted a part-time job in the industry were fantastic, even if their confidence was a bit low. Where you had teenagers or younger employees, that’s where you got the frosty fáilte. Maybe we all needed a jolt.”

[atlantic]

Big problem in Ireland in the Hotel and supermarket industry is that people have forgotten how to smile and greet people in a thanking manner.A smile breaks the ice and carries great weight ,it costs nothing to be polite and smile.It takes less muscles to smile than frown.

[DS-09]

What is this? Is Ireland a zoo whose citizens are animals there to amuse our continental tourists? I presume they come here to see lanscapes and cities, if they do not like the way people operate their daily lives, or their general behaviour- I suggest they take up holidays elsewhere. We are a real country- not an open air museum for photo snapping Europeans

[DS-09]

Anyways its not our problem that Bord Failte go overboard and over-the-top in their tourist brouchures, escalating the hopes and expectations of foreigners on holidays what Ireland is, or rather cheekily (what Ireland "should" be). Don't they know that we too work, have to travel too work, deal with our work/family etc just like they do. Are we supposed to change our ways, so we can get a biscuit on the nose from tourists for been "a good boy"?

[DS-09]

Big problem in Ireland in the Hotel and supermarket industry is that people have forgotten how to smile and greet people in a thanking manner.A smile breaks the ice and carries great weight ,it costs nothing to be polite and smile.It takes less muscles to smile than frown.

No offense atlantic, but aren't you been a tad patronising? Why should these people be smiling and be greeting people all the time? Are you annoyed on a contant basis in YOUR job, for a simliar display of affection?

[DS-09]

And if you don't mind me asking, how are the Irish and Italians similiar? I couldn't conceive of two different types of people (I certainly can't recall any section of our electorate voting in a porn star). Perhaps its just my eurosceptical nature, but I don't know- I just don't understand that one

[atlantic]

They come here to see all the things you have mentioned.But also to land that has always prided itself as the land of a thousand welcome,with its kind,hearty welcome for tourists, and humorous unoffending nature.

What is this? Is Ireland a zoo whose citizens are animals there to amuse our continental tourists? I presume they come here to see lanscapes and cities, if they do not like the way people operate their daily lives, or their general behaviour- I suggest they take up holidays elsewhere. We are a real country- not an open air museum for photo snapping Europeans

[atlantic]

I worked in the game for years ,it was the easy to smile and create a relaxed warm atmosphere.This isn't affection or looking for affection when it comes naturally ,maybe I'm lucky I have a jovial disposition and have always been thought it's easy to be nice and smile.

No offense atlantic, but aren't you been a tad patronising? Why should these people be smiling and be greeting people all the time? Are you annoyed on a contant basis in YOUR job, for a simliar display of affection?