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Car Rental Rates Hit Tourism

Failte Ireland says that rising car rental prices are undermining Ireland's reputation as a good value for money destination. It added that those who cannot secure a car booking may decide not to come to Ireland.

"This represents a major loss for the wider tourism industry. 20% of all overseas tourists to Ireland rent a car, and those who do spend more time and money and are far more likely to visit rural Ireland."

A report carried out by Indecon for Fáilte Ireland found that the cost of renting a car for tourists in Ireland is high compared to the European average. It also found that car hire plays an important role in facilitating tourism in Ireland and is a highly-seasonal sector. It says the pandemic had a detrimental impact on car rental companies.

For a ten-day hire from Dublin Airport at the end of July, a small car - a Citroen C1 - will set people back around €1,545. For those looking for more space, a VW Golf Estate comes in at over €5,700. For the same period out of Kerry Airport, a small VW Up costs just over €1,500.

Tabrez Heads Cork Kitchen

Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa, Cork has appointed Tabrez Shaikh as Head Chef. Originally from India, Tabrez has over 21 years of international experience in the hospitality industry, having started his career in the JW Marriot Hotel in Mumbai in 2002. Soon after, he moved to Northhampton to take on the role of Commis Chef at the Hilton Hotel before relocating to London to join the Radisson Blu Hotel London as Executive Sous Chef.

Adding to his international experience, Tarez joined the Miramar Al Aqah Beach Resort team in Dubai in 2015, where he ran a busy operation managing 27 chefs and creating a range of seasonal menus and recipes until 2018.

During his career, Tabrez has participated and won medals in culinary competitions in Abu Dhabi, Fujairah and Dubai, including training young teams of chefs for culinary competitions throughout UAE, organising and conducting East Coast Culinary Competitions with the Emirate Saloon Culinary Guild.

Ireland says ‘Hola’

Ireland was promoted to more than 50 top Spanish tour operators, travel agents and airline representatives, as well as to influential travel journalists at Tourism Ireland’s "Una Velada Irlandesa" ("An Irish Evening") events in Madrid and Barcelona.

Tourism companies from Ireland are pictured with Siobhan McManamy, Acting Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland (front, centre left); HE Frank Smyth, Irish Ambassador to Spain (front, centre); and Susan Bolger, Tourism Ireland’s Manager Spain (front, centre right).

Eight tourism companies from Ireland took part in the "Una Velada Irlandesa" events, promoting and selling their products and services to the Spanish travel professionals in attendance. The events also provided an opportunity to highlight what’s new and exciting around Ireland to the Spanish travel journalists in attendance. Tourism Ireland’s message was that Ireland is open for business again, and we cannot wait to welcome back Spanish visitors.

Blue Flags for 85 Beaches

A total of 85 beaches and 10 marinas around Ireland have been awarded Blue Flags by An Taisce. Fáilte Ireland says the awards have huge significance for tourism and for local communities as summer and bathing season approach.

Fáilte Ireland research shows that outdoor water-based activities such as kayaking, surfing, paddle-boarding and open water swimming are popular attractors for international and domestic visitors.

"It’s a trend that is likely to continue to grow year on year, and not just during the summer months," according to Fiona Monaghan, Fáilte Ireland’s Head of Product Development - Activities.

Welcoming the Awards announcement, Fiona Monaghan added: “Fáilte Ireland is really pleased to welcome this year’s Blue Flag awards, and we congratulate the Local Authorities for achieving the excellent standards required by the Blue Flag criteria.

"We would also like to commend the Clean Coasts volunteers right across the country who act as custodians for our beaches, seas, and marine life in Ireland, ensuring that they are managed appropriately and are litter and pollution free for our visitors to enjoy. It is testament to their hard work that 62 beaches have been awarded a Green Coast Award for 2022, and we are proud to continue to support An Taisce’s Clean Coast Programme and the Green Coast Awards."

Free Course Attracts Taxi Aspirants

Multi mobility app FREE NOW has experienced growing demand for its online training programme that helps aspiring taxi drivers pass the National Transport Authority’s SPSV Entry Test.

Since the start of 2022 the volume of registrations for the complimentary training programme has continued to rise, with 20% more candidates registering in April versus January of this year. And according to current driver data, almost 60% of new driver partners who joined the FREE NOW app in 2022 have completed the training initiative.

The online training programme called The Manual can be used by aspiring drivers as an educational support to help them prepare for the SPSV entry test which requires a 75% pass rate. The training uses the spaced repetition learning technique along with visual components such as Google Street View and Google maps to provide users with strong visual context and help them focus on questions they may struggle with.