Buncrana tourist office
closure hits the industry
Story: Inishowen Independent
INISHOWEN may have basked in Mediterranean-type
weather in recent weeks, but the tourist industry
here is feeling the chill since the closure of
Buncrana’s tourist office last February.
According to Buncrana’s Deputy Mayor, Peter
McLaughlin, hotels have reported a sharp decrease in
the number of people being referred to them from the
tourist office.
The office, which is maintained by Fáilte Ireland,
has maintained a part-time presence since April and
recently advertised seeking a full-time ‘seasonal
travel advisor’.
Applications for the €22,000 per annum post, which
runs from May to September, close today, but it’s
unlikely that the post will be filled until the
middle of next month at the earliest.
Meanwhile the office is currently offering a limited
service, opening from 10am-5pm on Fridays and
Saturdays only.
And while councillor McLaughlin has suggested hotels
have taken a hit, it would seem as if they are not
alone.
“The numbers staying in our hostel are significantly
down this year,” agreed Michael Diver of Tullyarvan
Mill. “We’ve had no referrals whatsoever from the
tourist office and we had a large number last year.
If they don’t increase, we’ll have a really bad
season.”
Speaking before jetting off to Greece where he will
marry Muff woman Pauline McCarron on Saturday, Dan
Gallinagh of the Inishowen Surf School also said
that his bookings were down.
“A lot of people were referred to the school through
Deirdre Bradley who used to work in the tourist
office but that has stopped. Buncrana is the gateway
to Inishowen and it’s a bit slack that it’s now
closed five days out of seven.”
“The tourist office has an important role to play in
directing tourists to all points of interest in
Inishowen,” Cllr McLaughlin said.
“The new person will have to, for want of a better
term, sell our ‘product’. Getting the right person
is essential; it’s important that it’s a local
person who knows Inishowen well.”
“Tourists want the personal touch and someone who
knows the area,” agreed Michael Diver. “We’ve upped
our marketing budget this year, but nothing beats
the referrals from the local tourist office.” Fáilte
Ireland was unavailable for comment. |
