Tourist Industry in Serious Decline

..the Brennans share ..fears for Ireland’s famous céad míle fáilte. “Hundreds and hundreds of B&Bs have closed in Ireland in the last six to eight years,” Francis says. “And then people are just taking keys out of lockboxes. They never meet anybody…. the 100,000 welcomes is around 50,000 now, I think. And I’m worried it’s going to go below that.”

“So if you eliminate the [irish] people from their experience, we really only have a generic product left ..we have beauty and landscape, it’s not unique. Loads of places are beautiful around the world. That was our little special piece that we had.” alternative link

https://www.independent.ie/life/travel/ireland/john-and-francis-brennan-i-dont-understand-why-you-would-go-into-business-in-this-country-anymore/a699863381.html

Stayed up in Dublin in September, probably interacted with 20 odd people working in hotel, restaurant, bars, taxis. Most were Indian n Brazilian, zero craic outta them, perfectly functional but might as well have been interacting with a robot.

Only craic was a Dublin taxi driver giving me fashion tips n slating my clobber. A major reason for tourists is meeting Irish people, they can forget about it in Dublin hospitality.

Same story as all the busiest places in Europe.

Personal experience though I have never been in a Dublin pub and not been served by an Irish person.

Grogans, Peter's, Cassidys, Palace, McHugh's, Ha'Penny, Foggy Dew and Dudley's. All great spots, most of them very suitable for tourists and all full of Irish staff.

Rare down here in Limerick city an Irish person doesn't serve me too. Only 1 of the many pubs I go to has about 50% Brazilian staff and it's not really a tourist spot anyway and they are good craic too.

There was a time it was all Polish but that's gone and it never hurt our tourism anyway. I bet the Brennans had loads of them hired.

That's Galway though. As long as I can remember it's been the least authentic Irish experience in Ireland and the most over rated city.

I don't remember who served me the last time I was there but I remember thinking it must be very disappointing for tourists to be in a bar surrounded only by other tourists.

Compared to Limerick City, Galway is a far better experience any day. Far more atmosphere and ambience. Limerick city centre is a dull, drab place with nothing much to recommend it.

I was talking to an American airline cabin crew lady recently during her layover in a Limk city hotel. I asked her what she thought of Limerick and she said it was probably one of the three worst cities for a layover in Europe. She gave me an unbiased honest opinion. She'd been several times so had time to form her view.

It's a very different experience for a Limk city native and an outsider. I live in Limk city (suburbs) for many years but I'm not from Limerick or indeed Galway or Cork, so even though I'm a resident, I don't have any particular affinity for the place. As a neutral I can readily see the shortcomings of the place even though I do have my favourite pubs and shops etc.

Galway, Cork and Kilkenny have more readily obvious attractions to the visitor or tourist than Limerick has and are also promoted far more than Limerick. The recent O'Connell St. makeover hasn't given the city centre the lift it deserves either, hence the lack of positive perception needed to create any impression to the newcomer.

Speaking of Clare Ennis is 11e and 45 minutes return on train from Limerick. Great day out for a tourist wanting to experience proper "postcard Irish" pokey little streets which Limerick sadly doesn't really have with much of (one basically).

Again though that's something you need local knowledge to know so most will miss it.

That is exactly it.

Limerick is a danger place for tourists and locals alike , lots of nice places like the hunt museum and king johns castle and st Mary’s cathedral but ruined by hundreds of drug addicts and dealers streaming up and down from St Mary’s park the most fcuked up place in Ireland from drugs

there’s plenty of assaults , people have given up reporting them as there’s so few guards and nothing happens the perpetrators. murders have reduced in recent years but the drugs trade is out of control in the likes of st Marys park . It’s a pity as the stretch of Limerick from the Hunt Museum to King johns castle is one of the most historic parts of ireland but it’s on a very dangerous thoroughfare of drugs from St Mary’s park into the city centre . I walked that way during the week and as someone who worked in Dublin City centre for years , Limerick is now worse sadly .

https://www.limerickleader.ie/news/home/1945485/retailers-and-customers-do-not-feel-safe-in-the-city-says-limerick-boutique-owner.html

even shop owners in Limerick dont feel safe not to mind tourists

Tourism has moved department to enterprise which is at least a nice acknowledgement that it's a huge and serious industry and not "culture or art".

My initial reaction was to be cynical about this latest tourism drive but one of the few things we have done in Ireland with consistent success is these marketing gimmicks.

€120.00 for 2 starters, 2 mains and 2 desserts with one drink each. Not exactly cheap but it was a special occasion so a one off experience.