Background:

In 2012, Dublin’s regional tourism authority merged with Failte Ireland, Ireland’s National Tourism Development Authority. Against this backdrop, the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) working in collaboration with public and private stakeholders, commissioned TDI to prepare a study – Capitalising on Dublin’s Potential.

Project Objectives:

The project objectives were to review the range of stakeholders/organisations currently engaged in marketing Dublin together with an evaluation of effectiveness; examine marketing campaigns of comparable European cities – i.e. Barcelona, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Edinburgh, Vienna; develop optimum scale of marketing for Dublin to ensure that the city continues to compete effectively in international markets; identifying the most appropriate marketing channels and budgets; provide a range of funding and structural arrangements for implementation; and identify and make recommendations in relation to product/service gaps and new market opportunities including a review of the provision of tourism information services.

In addition, the study sought to provide a realistic assessment of the relative impact of Dublin as a component of the Ireland tourism offering in the international market place; and quantify the economic significance of tourism to Dublin and identify the scale and quantum of the city’s capacity vs current and projected potential.

Project Activities:

Tourism Development International adopted a three phased approach to the assignment comprising the following activities:

• Consultation with public, private and community stakeholders
• Competitor Analysis
• Tourism Organisation review
• Review of current/recent marketing activities/budgets
• Market Research
• Market positioning and marketing planning
• Tourism strategy formulation
• Visitor and revenue projections
• Implementation framework and action plan

Project Outcome and Impacts:

Following the publication of Capitalising on Dublin’s Potential, the GROW Dublin Task Force was established comprising leading stakeholders from the public and private sector.

The capital’s tourism offer has been broadened out to include the surrounding hinterland of Dublin Bay and the Dublin Mountains. This re-positioning has been captured in the current branding ‘Visit Dublin – A Breath of Fresh Air’. Overseas tourism numbers have grown from 3.6 million in 2012 to 4.9 million in 2015 with tourism revenues now with €1.7 billion.

Links:

Capitalising on Dublin’s Potential