Felicity Long
Is the Celtic Tiger stirring?
The term was given to Ireland during its economic boom years in the late 1990s before its economy fell off a cliff in 2008, at which point the tiger was universally pronounced dead. But, given strong incoming visitor numbers in 2013 and optimistic forecasts for 2014, it appears that, at least in terms of tourism, we hear a heartbeat.
The figures new Tourism Minister Paschal Donohoe used in a speech to attendees at a Jump Into Ireland event for the travel trade in Boston Sept. 25 were “a million and a billion,” referring to the 1 million tourists from the U.S. who visited Ireland in 2013 and 1 billion euro they spent while there.
“Last year was our best ever year from the U.S., and we think this year will be even better,” he said in an interview. “There are three reasons for this, the first of which has been a substantial improvement in connectivity.” 
There are new Aer Lingus routes from Toronto and San Francisco to Dublin, for example, as well as expanded capacity to both Dublin and Shannon airports from North America on various airlines. Hand in hand with improved air service was the scrapping of the controversial air travel tax this spring, which debuted in 2009 and was charging air passengers 3 euro on flights departing Ireland — a tax that airline and tourism executives lobbied hard against.
The next factor was specific marketing campaigns that were bolstered by infrastructure investments from the Irish government. The most prominent of these was the promotion of the Wild Atlantic Way, an upgraded 2,500-kilometer route from Donegal to Kinsale, wending through some of the country’s most scenic landscape. Investments in the city of Limerick leading up to its 2014 designation as Ireland’s first National City of Culture, along with improvements to the blockbuster Titanic Experience in Belfast, have also been among the strongest recent draws to tourists, he said.
“The third thing is that Ireland has regained its tourism competitiveness,” Donohoe said. “Hotels and tour operators reduced their prices in response to the eurozone crisis, and our subsequent research has shown that we are making a decisive impression of giving good value for money.”
Value doesn’t necessarily mean inexpensive, however, he said, citing the posh new rail cruise debuted by Railtours Ireland the end of September. The weeklong, all-inclusive journey on a private vintage train, which includes overnight accommodations at five-star castles, hotels and manor houses, takes in many of the destination’s most famous sites and is priced at about $4,400 per person, double.
“We were staggered by the response,” said Jim Deegan, managing director of Railtours Ireland, adding that 100% of the guests on the inaugural journey were from the U.S.
“We encountered no resistance to the price, although of course, it is a deluxe experience,” he said.
The trip, which is limited to 50 passengers, includes private airport transfer, seven nights’ accommodations, meals, all taxes and service charges.