Tourist Numbers Up - B&B Occupancy Rates Down
Gillian Bowler, Chairman of Fáilte Ireland, the national tourism development authority, said last week that the Irish tourism industry welcomed a record 7.8 million visitors last year, five per cent more than in 2006. As such, it outperformed its main Northern European competitors.
The bad news is that B&Bs reported business was down on the previous year with budget hotels encroaching into their share of the market.
Reacting to the disappointing disclosure that some 200 registered B&Bs had closed down in 2007, Edmund Hickey, director of Family Homes of Ireland, told the ‘Irish Independent’ : “It’s difficult to say what the year ahead is going to be like for B&Bs. You get the feeling that this year is going to be tough for everyone in the tourism sector. But, generally, B&Bs are getting back to the numbers that there were in 1984 and 1985. There were some good years in between but now it’s on a sustainable level.
It is significant that overseas tourists often opt for the hospitality and friendliness at a Bed and Breakfast while Irish people choose to stay in hotels.
“The Irish client will nearly always go for a hotel,” says Hickey. “It’s a shame because I think they could re-connect themselves with local people and really enjoy the experience.
“If you stay in a hotel, you may get a nod from a receptionist behind the counter when you come home from a day out and about. But a B&B owner is welcoming you into their own home and is much more approachable. I think Failte Ireland should be marketing B&Bs as a unique opportunity to stay with an Irish family.”
Ann Smyth, who runs Applewood B&B in Drumcondra, Dublin, is quoted as saying: “I love the business because I love meeting people. Like a lot of other B&B owners, I take the time to talk to people about what tours to take or where to go for a bite to eat. You don’t get that type of reception in a hotel.
“Business recently is quieter than it has been in previous years. I think if it keeps up like this for B&Bs, then some of them will close because they’re not making much money out of it.
“The budget hotels are eating up the business. We just can’t compete with them on their prices because we’re paying VAT and all the running costs like electricity, refuse collection and so on.
“When you speak to the Revenue about having to pay VAT, they tell you to include it in your room price. But how can you do that and still compete against budget hotels that are slashing their prices?”
Peter Blundell, who with his wife Eileen runs the successful White Villa B&B in Cashel, Co Tipperary, said: “We started the business small in 1994 with three rooms. As the years passed, we’ve added on to the building and made improvements.
“I find that tourists prefer to stay at B&Bs because they get that interaction with the owner. We’ve found, over the years, that some people keep coming back to us.”
“Being registered and on the internet helps let people know about us.”