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IRELAND SHOULD BE pitched as a “detox destination” for millionaires and celebrities looking to ‘soul-search’ without being hassled by crowds.
That’s according to a report by Kantar Millward Brown, which recommended that the national tourism development agency draft a plan to bring more wealthy luxury-travel seekers to these shores.
The study for Fáilte Ireland, released to Fora under freedom of information laws, estimated that the global luxury travel market will generate revenues of over $1.1 billion by the year 2022, indicating an annual compound annual growth rate of between 6% and 7% from 2016.
There are no specific figures for how much the segment is worth to Ireland alone, but the research estimated that visitors with the deepest pockets typically spend between €10,000 and €20,000 a week when they come here as a couple, or between €30,000 and €60,000 if they travel with family.
As part of the assessment, Kantar Millward Brown interviewed 20 property owners, destination managers, travel operators, bloggers and travel tech execs based in Europe and the US to gauge their perceptions of Ireland as a holiday destination.
It also surveyed 225 high net worth individuals – those with $1 million to $5 million in liquid financial assets – and ultra-high net worth individuals – those with assets of more than $5 million – from North America, the UK, Europe, China and the Middle East.
The report discovered that Ireland isn’t perceived as a “luxurious country”, although the authors suggest that’s not necessarily a bad thing since “no specific destination really is”.
“Luxury is not about bling anymore. It’s not about gold and diamonds and marble; it’s about service and more about the experience. It’s about being richer of something, richer of an experience, richer of an encounter,” it said.
Ireland is widely perceived as a safe destination compared to other European locations, some of which have experienced terrorist attacks in recent years.
The main barriers that prevent luxury travellers from coming here are the poor weather and a general lack of awareness of how Ireland differs from its main competitors like Scotland and Iceland.
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Demands
In addition to capturing high-earners’ perception of Ireland, the researchers explored the typical demands of wealthy travellers.
Specific requirements differ from market to market, but clients generally want experiences that are “less touristy than the mainstream attractions, as they want to feel ‘special’ and ‘precious’ as their time is limited and they want to make the most of it”.
“Most of the luxury travellers want a more authentic experience where they can be absorbed in local culture, meet (the) local farmer, author, minister and politician,” the report found.
Other more general demands include “being pampered and surprised at each touchpoint”, “having encounters with local aristocrats” and “soul-searching in most scenic destinations”.
The analysis suggested that the so-called shoulder season – the quieter times of the year when there is more capacity in hotels – best suits wealthy tourists in Ireland, particularly famous ones.
“During the off-peak season (October to February), the sun sets early and that’s the time when the high-profile visitors enjoy,” it said.
“This is because they can go out, enjoy the beauty of Ireland, take a walk around the city all without the hassle of being noticed.”
Some of the shortcomings identified by the report include Dublin’s association with hen and stag parties – “something that doesn’t go well with the image” – and some concern among agents that destination management companies “tend to mark up the hotel costs which can create suspicions in the minds of the client”.
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Recommendations
The authors noted that the midlands – which is getting a marketing boost under the guise of the new ‘Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands’ tourism brand – hasn’t received the focus it deserves as an area with unique properties and cottages.
The report recommended that in the short-term, Ireland should be “promoted as a detox destination” that gives visitors the chance to “reflect and indulge in soul-searching”.
It also encouraged Fáilte Ireland to use social media and other marketing tools to plug the island’s “culture and tranquillity”.
One of the mid-term suggestions is for the tourism industry to create more yoga camps and retreats so Ireland can claim to be a “wellness destination”.
It also recommended that the sector “establish a culture of discrete and instantaneous service” when dealing with luxury holidaymakers.
“This involves anticipating needs of the clients over time and implementing these without them having to raise a finger,” it said.
Following the Kantar Millward Brown report, Fáilte Ireland is collaborating with all-island marketing body Tourism Ireland to develop a strategy to grow the luxury travel sector, which will be unveiled in early 2019.
Written by Conor McMahon and posted on Fora.ie
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Detox with a big pint of Guinness. Sounds good to me
@shellakybooky: Wait til you see what’s about to break about that, if you haven’t already!!
We should be making the country better for its citizens first. We are people not revenue generators. And we are certainly not chamber maids to the rich and feckless
@Kevin Slater: I am not a number I am a free man….until I go buy something in Argos.
@Kevin Slater: Down with revenue!!!
@Kevin Slater: but they’ll be coming and transferring some of their wealth to ireland. Without tourists our citizens would have a lot less money.
We all have two kidneys and a liver to remove the toxins from our bodies. This “de-tox” industry is a big con job.
@Pavel Marianski: spot on
Jaysus
I didn’t recognize them
There’s thousands of them arriving every week
Thought they were here for the benefits not the detox
@John the Baptist: that deserves a smirk at the very least
@FlopFlipU: surprised it’s still on
Breakfast roll and a big mug of tea is all you need
We need more budget options. Everywhere else in Europe has hostels in the mountains. Hikers and cyclists just want to put their head down. The lack of basic accommodation has made these lovely pastimes too expensive. My contacts in Europe want to come fishing and cycling in Ireland. I haven’t the heart to tell them they’ll have to fork out hundreds every night for hotels they don’t even want.
@SC: go camping on the Barrow Walkway from south Dublin down through Carlow I think it finishes in Graignamanagh one of the nicest places in the country it’s not nicknamed The Happy Valley for nothing. People have gone there and haven’t been seen again for years….
@Jonathan Power: I’m doing that in January weather pending. There’s a train to Dublin from a lot of the town’s along the way so it’s easy to get there and back. Looking forward to it. I also highly recommend the canal walks in Dublin, to Sallins or Maynooth and train home after a nice dinner.
Come to Ireland to detox and discover you don’t even need to.
You’ll probably find your not drinking half enough to warrant it
Isn’t this like advising people to go to Saudi Arabia to avoid sand?
We all have two kidneys and a liver to remove the toxins from our bodies. This “detox” industry is scientifically unproven. .
@Pavel Marianski: Dulse or “spirula in the States” is the new Detox remedy. That and “celery juicing”, plenty of both here. Used to can celery in Glencolmcille under the famous Fr. McDyre back in the 70′s. Could feed them plenty of both along with a few seaweed baths thrown in too for good measure.
If this country went organic it would be brilliant for both those living here, & tourism.
As an island nation we’re placed perfectly for this.
@Ann Experiment: very very difficult to get organic status it would take years possibly decades.
We all have two kidneys and a liver to remove the toxins from our bodies. This “detox” industry is a big con job.
@Pavel Marianski: I think you’re stuck in a loop
Get someone to give you a slap
@John the Baptist: The Loop of Henle
Where is Longford located ?
@Adrianh_80: 8 miles off the south west coast. You can walk out to it once every ten years during the orange purple moon low tide. Their a weird lot though going there is not advisable especially sober.
Great idea. Always wondered what a colder wetter version of 1950s Cuba would be like.
Four cable cars to capture the views from the top of our many mountains. One for each of the provinces, north, south, east and west. These soul-searching celebs on the top financially, May not be fit for the climb up but need to ground themselves and capture the beauty from the top down to our beautiful beaches. We could create a Camino cable car route and they would have to complete the four in ‘one trip’. If its good enough for them it will do us too. Ddddrrreeeeeeaaaaammmm. Forget the midlands the beauty here is the Wild Atlantic Way
@C_O’S:
Great idea, but the infrastructural cost alone would make your suggestion totally unviable. But droned footage from those mountain tops set into VR would be a good substitute.
Staying in the pub, therefore, sipping a Guinness and donning the Virtual Reality Goggles would be the safer, all-weather cheaper option.
Most of them want to come to Ireland for the Guinness,tweed caps n comely maidens
@Quentin Moriarty: I think they only come here so they can say they drank in Temple Bar and got shafted.
@Jonathan Power: is that the women or the men
@John the Baptist: well if they ventured up George’s steet it might be applicable to both ….. we’ll wait and see
@Jonathan Power: no discrimination here
Travel to Donegal with your celebrity wife. Relax and take in the breath taking scenery. Kill someone with your. Buy a jumper
@Roy O’Rourke: and feed them raw kale 5 times a day for 2 weeks and sleep on the beach for the very modest fee of three grand. Imagine the profit….
@Roy O’Rourke: kill someone with my “what”? C’mon don’t leave us hanging.
@Keelan O’neill: lets have a competition
I’ll start with
Kill them with your
Toxic Turds
@John the Baptist: with your inflatable boat sized lips
@Keelan O’neill: I could be wrong but think it’s a veiled reference to Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker
25ish years ago Julia Roberts was a regular in the Silver Granite in Palmerstown for a while. Despite being at the height of her career, she asked for no special treatment, was just looking to get away from it all (staying in her driver’s family home I think) and the locals in the pub seemed to leave her alone. Wonder if cell phone cameras and Facebook would allow that to repeat itself today…
Detox from American hostility – come to Ireland!
@Marcia Craine: Jesus wept
Get a life
Well it must be nice that the tourists can be here to relax,,,,while the irish who live here are stressed out of their minds
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