Wexford being left behind in tourism promotion?

Cantona's Collars

The promotion of Wexford & the S.E region as a tourist destination has come in for scathing criticism.

http://businessetc.thejournal.ie/south-east-tourism-recession-struggle-bounce-back-1570703-Jul2014/

This is pretty true,these days you can't switch on a national radio station without being bombarded with ads,promotions and competitions revolving around The West & The Wild Atlantic Way.I've nothing against a region getting a push but as usual this neck of the woods gets left behind.How many visitors arrive off the ferry & head immediately West,ignoring the many attractions around this region?

We've practically zero industry here anymore and now tourism is suffering,they will be cutting us adrift soon at this rate.

Judgement Day

How can you say that? At least in Enniscorthy we have this wonderful site: http://www.enniscorthytourism.com/

St Senan

zerks wrote: »

The promotion of Wexford & the S.E region as a tourist destination has come in for scathing criticism.

http://businessetc.thejournal.ie/south-east-tourism-recession-struggle-bounce-back-1570703-Jul2014/

This is pretty true,these days you can't switch on a national radio station without being bombarded with ads,promotions and competitions revolving around The West & The Wild Atlantic Way.I've nothing against a region getting a push but as usual this neck of the woods gets left behind.How many visitors arrive off the ferry & head immediately West,ignoring the many attractions around this region?

We've practically zero industry here anymore and now tourism is suffering,they will be cutting us adrift soon at this rate.

I was down at the Burren and Cliffs of Moher last weekend, The area was full of English reg, NL reg, German reg and France reg cars. Buses carrying American tourists and a load of rental cars from Dublin. Last Sunday night we were in a restaurant in Lahinch and i overheard some yanks talking about where they have visited or where they would like to visit and lo and behold 1 guy mentions the area where the novel/movie Brooklyn was filmed another guy says that he was in that area a few years ago and there is nothing there worth visiting apart from a an old ruins on top of a hill and a castle that was shut to visitors. They were heading to Cashel and kilkenny the next day and then back to Dublin.

LowOdour

Spent a week in bunclody a few weeks back....was a very good base. Found Wexford a great spot with the kids....plenty to do with the kids

oldyouth

Wexford has beautiful beaches but little else (IMO) of spectacular natural interest compared to other areas. To compensate for that, we should invest in events and facilities to attract tourists

St Senan

oldyouth wrote: »

Wexford has beautiful beaches but little else (IMO) of spectacular natural interest compared to other areas. To compensate for that, we should invest in events and facilities to attract tourists

Wexford has 1 of the most historic sites in Ireland's history " Vinegar Hill "
It also has other places like the Hook peninsula with Loftus hall, Tintern Abbey and the Lighthouse.

Along with Vinegar hill Enniscorthy has 1798 center and Enniscorthy castle. Enniscorthy and its shop keepers have an opportunity now since Brooklyn was filmed to change the center of the town and the shop fronts to attract the Americans. But I fear that wont happen.

New Ross has the Famine ship, Kennedy park, and places around it like Dunbrody abbey.

The Heritage park in Wexford, Co Wexfords links to John Barry "Father of the American Navy" Born 1745. Our lady's island

After Saving Private Ryan was filmed at Curracloe all that was done to attract the tourists was a Higgins boat was left to rot in a field and the local pub changed its name to Omaha beach

The majority of these European reg cars that were in Co Clare last weekend had to depart the ferry in Rosslare.

The county has lots to offer Tourists who get off the ferry in Rosslare or arrive at Dublin airport.
But IMO our Elected TD's are not doing enough to promote the county.

Judgement Day

Not forgetting Johnstown Castle - will it ever be opened to the public.

oldyouth

Navarre, I accept there are some nice places, but they are not exceptional enough to attract sufficient visitors and this is borne out by the low numbers. It is not just because the message isn't getting across. Don't get me wrong, I think the county is beautiful, but let's give the people more to do when they arrive.

Curracloe Beach is magnificent, but I don't think the fact that a film was made there nearly 20 years ago is any big deal, neither is the fact that Brooklyn was filmed there this year. Now as for transforming Enniscorthy shopfronts to reflect a previous era, that is worth considering, provided everyone gets on board with it

It's only my opinion on this

St Senan

oldyouth wrote: »

Navarre, I accept there are some nice places, but they are not exceptional enough to attract sufficient visitors and this is borne out by the low numbers. It is not just because the message isn't getting across. Don't get me wrong, I think the county is beautiful, but let's give the people more to do when they arrive.

Curracloe Beach is magnificent, but I don't think the fact that a film was made there nearly 20 years ago is any big deal, neither is the fact that Brooklyn was filmed there this year. Now as for transforming Enniscorthy shopfronts to reflect a previous era, that is worth considering, provided everyone gets on board with it

It's only my opinion on this

20 years ago curracloe and the county of wexford could have benefited from the success of the movie. There are enough scenic and historical sites in Co Wexford to attract tourism but i simply feel that its not been promoted enough. There has to be some sort of wexford blood in the millions of Americans living in the USA.

Last year just the week after Christmas my wife was in Enniscorthy when she was stopped by an American couple who were staying in Wexford town and they got a bus to Enniscorthy to visit the Castle. They asked her could she recommend to them where would be a nice place to visit in Enniscorthy as the Castle was closed the 98 center was closed. My wife drove them to vinegar hill and let them walk around the top of it. When they came back to the car they asked was there a visitors center or gift shop close by. NO

Has anyone gone around Enniscorthy shops or say the Castle or the 98 center looking for a nice plaque or image of Vinegar hill or the Town.
Let me tell you that there aren't any.


I really feel that the county is been left behind when visitors depart the ferry.

oldyouth

We are kind of in agreement then that there is little by way of back up services to attract the visitors to Wexford such as the interpretation centres, gift shops etc.

Personally, I think the way forward is theme parks, outdoor adventure centres, aqua centres, music festivals (not your strawberry/dunbody fair with Crystal bloody Swing), sailing competitions etc.

Cantona's Collars

It's pretty depressing watching tourists wander around aimlessly in Enniscorthy,the attractions we have are poorly marketed.Is there walking tours of the town anymore?

Regarding Curracloe,didn't the locals insist that after filming of Saving Private Ryan finished that things were to return to normal and the area was not to become a 'mecca' for film tourists?

You can't throw a stone in the West for hitting an "attraction",every little thing is marketed and to quote Field Of Dreams - "if you build it,they will come".

At least we might see some progress as Nevilles are planning to build a new hotel and top class links course at Curracloe to utilise a very underused resource.There's other parts of the country that would give the Lotto for our beaches yet we don't market them at all.

kneemos

All the scenery is west of the Shannon,otherwise it's much if a muchness really.How many know or care about 1798 or come to Ireland for the beaches?
They could stick a bit of a sign on the Castle though,I'm sure a lot of people are left guessing or if they're even supposed to go in.

Cantona's Collars

kneemos wrote: »

All the scenery is west of the Shannon,otherwise it's much if a muchness really.How many know or care about 1798 or come to Ireland for the beaches?
They could stick a bit of a sign on the Castle though,I'm sure a lot of people are left guessing or if they're even supposed to go in.

I've noticed that at the Castle,people standing on the street looking bemused.

Another thing is that thanks to great management and conservation we have excellent fishing back on the Slaney but it seems to be poorly utilised.People pay big money to head to Kerry,Mayo etc. to fish yet once again a trick is being missed here.

vicwatson

Is Eileen Gray's Brownswood house even open to public, respected across the world except for her native country I think?

And when was the last time Wexford included in a discover Ireland ad? Can't remember ever seeing one promoting the county

Judgement Day

vicwatson wrote: »

Is Eileen Gray's Brownswood house even open to public, respected across the world except for her native country I think?

And when was the last time Wexford included in a discover Ireland ad? Can't remember ever seeing one promoting the county

http://meanscoilgharman.com/ You can translate for yourself - it might as well be in Chinese as far as I'm concerned.

fork handles

On visiting Enniscorthy as a town I felt it very backwards. It was not very welcoming to outsiders or tourists. The people are very clannish and god forbid you're from a different ethnic background. Not the friendly Irish welcome at all. Love the melting pot of a big city not the dreary backwards town mentality of Enniscorthy. Shame it could be so lovely.

oldyouth

vicwatson wrote: »

Is Eileen Gray's Brownswood house even open to public, respected across the world except for her native country I think?

Does it matter? This sort of thing and Thomas Moores mothers house will not bring anybody here. It isn't exactly a Tayto Park, National Aquatic Centre, Fota Park, Kilmainham Gaol etc.

These are the major type of attractions the county needs and you then have the fringe locations for added interest. If you say 1798 to anybody outside of Wexford, very few would know or care

We have beautiful beaches, lovely scenery and some fine restaurants and hotels However, we need to provide the interests a modern tourist requires. The history and heritage will still be there for those that enjoy such things

vicwatson

It was but 1 example:rolleyes:

BarryD

Navarre wrote: »

Wexford has 1 of the most historic sites in Ireland's history " Vinegar Hill "

With due respect, that's a very parochial view. The '98 rebellion still echoes around the south east of Ireland but that's about it. Vinegar Hill may be an important historic site in Enniscorthy & Wexford but hardly very important in a national context..

zerks wrote: »

At least we might see some progress as Nevilles are planning to build a new hotel and top class links course at Curracloe to utilise a very underused resource.There's other parts of the country that would give the Lotto for our beaches yet we don't market them at all.

Lord help us, not another golf course - don't we have more than enough of them at this stage?? Golf courses, particularly in locations like Curracloe, usually are bad news for the ordinary public. Places where the public can freely enjoy suddenly become off limits.. and become restricted.

Personally, I don't think Wexford should be overly concerned with international tourism. There is a long established tradition in the region of attracting people from the greater metropolis of Dublin and this is probably it's greatest potential source of visitor revenue. This raises it's own problems and perhaps more thought should have been put into the planning process that has lead to the sprawl of holiday house developments along the coast. It's easy enough for people to arrive down for the weekend with all their shopping & beer from their local home supermarket, rather than supporting local businesses. There was something to be said for the mobile home and caravan/ camping parks that these tend to have replaced. I suspect more money may have come into the local economy via them..

Then's the UK weekend market - just a short hop across the Irish Sea..

The 'Wild Atlantic Way' buzz will come & go - it's a marketing exercise to promote what people have been doing for decades.

Sully

I contacted tourism groups across the South East last year to see if we could do something together (I have been promoting tourism in Tramore for a number of years now). Most didn't bother responding to my email and those who did weren't that interested or fobbed me off.

vicwatson

And how much was spent on Holmestown "State of the art landfill site" only for it to be closed down over a year ago !

ezra_

vicwatson wrote: »

And how much was spent on Holmestown "State of the art landfill site" only for it to be closed down over a year ago !

Holmestown is closed?! Why?

The recycling facility is still there right?

Judgement Day

And a Wexford landfill site thread too.

Cantona's Collars

Had relatives staying in Enniscorthy last week,they ended up basing themselves elsewhere as "there was nothing of interest for the kids in the area".Sad but true.

St Senan

Mod Note

I have moved all posts relating to Roads to a separate thread. http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057268839

People can we keep this thread on topic relating to Tourism.

thanks

allthedoyles

Rosslare was always known as the gateway to Europe for tourists travelling outwards , and for tourists travelling inwards , it seems to be the gateway to Kerry.

Every evening of the week between 7-8pm , I see many many UK / EU registered cars passing through New Ross quay , as fast as possible , and none ever seem to stop .

I see tourist buses , passing by as well , with tour guides , explaining the history of New Ross / JFK .
Some buses do stop outside the Emigrant Flame / Dunbrody for few minutes to allow the tourist take some photographs , but the tourist centre / cafes here have been closed since 6pm .

vicwatson

Lucky Wexford has Dublin relatively close for most of it's tourists !

purplepanda

Personally I wouldn't like to see Wexford end up a tourist gouging region like Kerry is. I find many of the locals there often see tourists as milk cows & will try to fleece them at every opportunity, like charging folks to see an old ruined neolithic stone circle on their land, some of which are probably made more recently. I like that Wexford people are reserved & polite, instead of being the forelock tugging type. :pac:

However, the tourist traffic flows through the county every day (& the wider SE region) & should be seen as a potential economic benefit to the county if promoted better with further investment, possibly with access to EU funding.

The SE Ireland region could learn a lot from our neighbours in SW Wales, who promote their tourist attractions & local sites properly & attract more visitors in comparison.

now online

Hi

As someone who's been coming to Wexford for the last 3 years on holidays I'd definitely agree it's really is being undervalued as a tourist destination.

I believe it's one of the most beautiful counties in Ireland. The beaches are spectacular and it's one of the most family friendly places we've even been! There's so much to see and do here I don't think we'll ever get bored of it.

On a selfish note, I'm glad it's not overrun or overpriced like parts of Co.Kerry.

man98

I saw in the Wexford People on Tuesday that next year the south east will be marketed as the Gathering and Wild Atlantic Way have been for the last few years. 2 million passengers, with 800,000 vehicles pass through Rosslare Europort every year. While many may be truck drivers who won't be sight seeing, most will only see the bypasses being built. Wexford has a lot to be said for itself, the Blackstairs are great for hiking and I recall Pink, an American singer, visited Hook Lighthouse a while back. We need to milk this county for everything we have got, opening up OPW sights etc. I can guarantee you 95% of cars passing through Wexford won't even see a sign for Duncannon which is a beautiful neck of the woods. The Guinness Book of World Records was thought up in the North Slobs and Saving Private Ryan was a massive movie, still is, why not market it.
Link for 2015 tourism programme: http://m.independent.ie/regionals/wexfordpeople/lifestyle/wexford-features-in-new-tourism-driving-route-30449921.html

vicwatson

This doesn't bode well -

http://www.independent.ie/regionals/wexfordpeople/news/most-tourists-would-not-recommend-the-region-to-friends-30501638.html

Royal Legend

Interesting thread.

I came back on the ferry from the UK to Rosslare a few days ago and the first thing I noticed was how run down the Rosslare area was.
Its not a great impression for anyone getting off the ferry and driving into Wexford, which they have to do to hit the different routes.

I used to think the same about Shannon when you leave the airport as well, but they have tried to improve the area, although Shannon itself is very run down.

IMO there is an urgent need for a tidy towns committee around Rosslare.

There should be billboards leaving Rosslare for the local attractions in the South East.

Judgement Day

vicwatson wrote: »

This doesn't bode well -

http://www.independent.ie/regionals/wexfordpeople/news/most-tourists-would-not-recommend-the-region-to-friends-30501638.html

Why am I not surprised. Anybody who has been 'abroad' well just as far as Wales actually, knows that Ireland in general, and the South East in particular, is abysmal in terms of visitor attractions and does not stand comparison. In total fairness there's not one major attraction in the South East that I could recommend. Stamp's Pub in Enniscorthy, Redmond's in Scarawalsh and French's in Gorey and then foot to the floor...

McLoughlin

October with the various festivals and events seems to be the time of year to come to Wexford and this October has the best selection of events in years.

BarryD

Judgement Day wrote: »

In total fairness there's not one major attraction in the South East that I could recommend. Stamp's Pub in Enniscorthy, Redmond's in Scarawalsh and French's in Gorey and then foot to the floor...

Jaysus, hope you haven't downed too many pints before you put your 'foot to the floor' after touring your definition of attractions in the SE!

Judgement Day

After my rather intemperate post I put my mind to thinking about the 'major' tourist attractions in the South East and came up with the following - in no particular order:

1. Johnstown Castle....pretty for a walk...castle still not open to the public. 6/10

2. Irish National Heritage Park....suitable for school tours. 5/10

3. Hook Lighthouse....overpriced cafe with lighthouse attached. 2/10

4. Dunbrody 'replica' famine ship. Take a photo from the quayside 2/10

5. JFK Memorial Park....haven't been but not inclined to from reports.

6. Enniscorthy Castle....nice view from the roof....4/10

7. National 1798 Centre....tearoom for council staff...school tours 1/10

8. Wells House, Gorey....not been but sounds promising

9. Loftus Hall, Hook.....not been but rough round the edges from reports.

Nothing there though that would compare with Wales, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland or the Isle of Man.

BarryD

Could be right about some features but you're a bit unfair re the Dunbrody - we brought the family there and all enjoyed the trip. Good displays and audio visual followed by actor on ship. There's also a lot more to The Hook than the lighthouse - the land, cliff and seascape there is far more significant than the tea rooms. And you don't have to pay anything to visit the carpark and go for a walk (yet!).

BarryD

A lot of the attraction in rural Ireland including the SE, is not in big attractions like Aqua World this or that or Muckross House etc. It lies hidden away a little in the folds of the landscape. Visitors could be facilitated to discover this for themselves with a combination of better signposting, print or web/ smart phone information and a willingness by all local people to welcome visitors in and onto their land etc.

There good deal of work put into redeveloping the Wexford Coastal Path about a dozen years ago, with a view to taking it off road and along the coast. The 'foot & mouth crisis' came and parts of the route fell by the wayside afterwards with the result that about half of it had to be dropped completely. I'm not having a go at the landowners here, they thought it best to restrict people coming onto their lands at the time and withdrew permissions as whilst it might have benefited the B&B up the road, it was no immediate good to them and perhaps would bring costs on them.

So you need a bit of a mind shift in a community and local authority sense, to bring about developments small & large like this, even if the individual does not directly benefit, the community and region as a whole will. That's more way the approach across the sea in North Wales etc. They know where their bread is buttered.

now online

Judgement day I'd have to disagree.

JFK Is a great family day out take a picnic and away you go, kids love the place.

Hook is the oldest operational lighthouse in the world and for that reason alone is worth a visit.

Wells house is a magical place for kids.

Irish national heritage park, again great day out we all enjoyed it.

Loftus house has one of 3 staircases ever build the other two being in the Vatican and the titanic.

Famine ship is on our to do list.

There is lots to see and do in Wexford and in my opinion the focus should be on concentrating on marketing it to our own as a great family destination.

Judgement Day

now online wrote: »

Judgement day I'd have to disagree.

JFK Is a great family day out take a picnic and away you go, kids love the place.

Hook is the oldest operational lighthouse in the world and for that reason alone is worth a visit.

Wells house is a magical place for kids.

Irish national heritage park, again great day out we all enjoyed it.

Loftus house has one of 3 staircases ever build the other two being in the Vatican and the titanic.

Famine ship is on our to do list.

There is lots to see and do in Wexford and in my opinion the focus should be on concentrating on marketing it to our own as a great family destination.

I'd have to disagree. Wexford has some nice places for a picnic - I'm sure the JFK Memorial Park may be one of these but there's plenty of such places that you can have a picnic without paying for the privilege.

I stand by what I said about Hook Lighthouse - an expensive cafe with a view.

Wells is apparently worth a visit as I mentioned.

How the Irish National Heritage Park could be described as a 'great day out' is beyond me. I spent about 30 minutes there and that was quite long enough to see everything. I only went in at all as access to the only 'genuine' item there (the Crimea Memorial) is through the Heritage Park.

Quite why I'd want to visit a crumbling ruin (Loftus Hall) to view a staircase is also beyond me, and as I said, the "Dunbrody" is better viewed from the quayside - after all we all know the story.

Anyway, as in a lot of Ireland it's about getting the 'product' right and the marketing will take care of itself though word of mouth, the internet etc. Poor roads, derelict rail services and no effort by local authorities to develop the SE need to be tackled and a landmark tourist attraction developed.

byhookorbycrook

We spend some of our holidays in Wexford each year. Plenty foreign tourists down at Hook this year.
Some of my favourite places in Wexford:
Vinegar Hill (haven't made it to the re-enactment yet though.)

Duncannon Fort.

Loftus Hall is good fun, the tour around the house is a good mix of history and silly scares . It's in very bad repair, so looks like somewhere Disney built to look like a "genuine haunted house" but is the "real thing." The stairs and surrounding carvings are actually well worth a look, as is the mosaic floor in the entrance hallway. The owners are also developing outdoor pursuits in the surrounding areas.

Hook lighthouse doesn't demand you buy food at the café !!

Tintern Abbey and grounds are always on my list to visit.

Baginbun beach for history and a swim!

This year we also went to the lavender farm near Gorey and Our Lady's Island.

If you go to tripadvisor you'll generally find tourists want to go to the Guinness Storehouse, Kilkenny city, the Rock of Cashel, Ring of Kerry , Cliffs of Moher (and Doolin, god help them) and the Giant's Causeway, preferably all in 2 hours.

You need to get on to the tripadvisor forums and sell your area. Plenty Americans at the very least would visit the JFK homestead and the Dunbrody.

man98

Never been to Loftus Hall, but surely it can't be in as bad repair as Duncannon Fort! Most of the 'behind the scenes' in the Fort are in terrible condition. The Sand Sculpting Festival could be made bigger there, as it is absolutely lovely. Another thing could be boat tours of the Hook area, or kayak rental. Since Wexford has little attractions, we could make more use of the sea.

BarryD

man98 wrote: »

Another thing could be boat tours of the Hook area, or kayak rental. Since Wexford has little attractions, we could make more use of the sea.

Boat tours might be grand near the Hook, fantastic cliff scenery and water is very clear, not sure about wisdom of kayak hire though - there's a pretty vicious tidal race at half tide as the sea sweeps around the peninsula. There's a lovely walk from Slade to the Hook out along the coast which is well used.

John_Rambo

I'm just back from a couple of days in Kilmore Quay. Great spot, stunning beaches everywhere, nice walks, big big dune system, decent restaurant, good chipper, great grub in Kilmore. Bit of a litter and dog fouling problem, but you can't beat the South East in the sun!

I work in advertising.

Wexford - where Irish people go on holiday (-;

BarryD

Yep John, that's where Wexford should be looking for it's tourist cash from - Dublin and perhaps also the Welsh/ West England market, via Rosslare. Forget the Germans, Yanks and Japs, except for JFK of course..

John_Rambo

Well, I was thinking more along the lines of "why not holiday where the Irish holiday?"

You know when people go abroad and say "well, where we were it was all locals, it's where the Spanish/Italians/French holiday themselves"

That's the angle. Destinational market the area as the place where the Irish go to relax. A photo of one of those endless beaches void of gangs of people with a tagline like "this is why the Irish holiday in Wexford"

bruschi

some quick pictures not far from me. Obviously not to Judgment Days satisfaction, but if people want to get bogged down in really small details, then they will never enjoy things. The county is very undersold, and has a huge amount of natural beauty and identity. As John Rambo says, its where Irish people do holiday. I'd say you would find it rare to see no Irish person never holidaying in Wexford in some shape or form at some stage.

Judgement Day

Nice pics but the West coast has far more to offer in the way of scenery and things to see and do. I lived in the Dublin area for almost thirty years and never once holidayed in the South East - Kerry, Galway and Donegal many times - and as far as I can see (currently) its main selling point is its ease of access from Dublin for a quick getaway.

Cantona's Collars

Another problem is the state of some of the rural roads,they are in a shocking state.It's not appealing to go off the beaten track.The NRA insist that the council repairs the N routes (even if they are fine) while the roads that are in bits need serious work.

I've driven up mountains in Wales and the road surfaces are perfect.Drive around Wexford and in parts you'd need a tank.A lot of our attractions are situated in areas that force people to drive on such roads & it's hardly encouraging when they resemble pot holed sheep tracks.

Cantona's Collars

Regarding the state of the roads,there was a report made public today that Co.Wexford is a "pothole blackspot".That'd really encourage you to go exploring the county.
With the rise of cycling also,who would want to take their life into their hands cycling along some of the roads here?
Recently,I took the bike along some of the rural roads & swore never again as I dodged what could be only described as craters,the road surface in urban areas is nearly as bad.