Fáilte Ireland Explained

Fáilte Ireland
Full Name:National Tourism Development Authority
Predecessor:Bord Fáilte Éireann (BFÉ)
Founder:National Tourism Development Authority Act of 2003
Purpose:"To provide strategic and practical support in developing and sustaining Ireland as a high-quality and competitive tourist destination"
Headquarters:Amiens Street, Dublin 1, Ireland
Merger:Council of Education, Recruitment and Training (CERT)
Bord Fáilte Éireann (BFÉ)

Fáilte Ireland is the operating name of the National Tourism Development Authority of the Republic of Ireland. This authority was established under the National Tourism Development Authority Act of 2003 to replace and build upon the functions of Bord Fáilte, its predecessor organisation.[1] The organisation was established to support the development and promotion of tourism within the Republic of Ireland, and it undertakes tourism marketing, training and research activities.[2]

Name

The legal name of the body is the National Tourism Development Authority, according to the National Tourism Development Authority Act 2003 which established it.[3] [4] The 2003 act also empowers the body to use the trading name of Fáilte Ireland.[3] The word fáilte is Irish for "welcome".[5] In official Irish language texts the form Fáilte Éireann has been used.[6] [7]

History

After the foundation of the Irish Free State in December 1922, hoteliers and others created local tourism boards in various regions, which combined in 1924 into the Irish Tourist Association (ITA), a private organisation "promoting tourism to the benefit of the nation".[8] [9] [10] (An earlier, unionist-led, ITA had existed from 1895 to 1921.) ITA lobbying led to the Irish Tourist Board being established under the Tourist Traffic Act 1939.[11] While the outbreak of the Second World War delayed the implementation of some elements of the 1939 act,[12] a series of surveys, the Irish Tourist Association Topographical and General Survey, were undertaken in the early 1940s.[13] [14]

The organisation was renamed again, to An Bord Fáilte, by the Tourist Traffic Act 1952. The same act created a separate body, Fógra Fáilte, to handle publicity.[15] The Tourist Traffic Act 1955 remerged the two as Bord Fáilte Éireann (BFÉ or "Bord Fáilte").[16] An Tóstal, a summer cultural festival held from 1953 to 1959, took up the bulk of the authority's work in this period. In 1963, the Council of Education, Recruitment and Training (CERT) was created to take over training of workers in the hospitality industry.

In 1964, eight regional tourist organisations (RTOs) were established which were intended to supersede the ITA; an extraordinary general meeting called in 1964 to dissolve the ITA voted not to do so, but it nevertheless soon became defunct.[17] The RTOs reduced in number to six in the 1980s, and were renamed regional tourist associations (RTAs) in 1996.[18] In 1989 the Dublin RTO lost a High Court action to prevent BFÉ dissolving it; it was reconstituted as Dublin Tourism and more closely controlled by BFÉ.[19]

In 2003, CERT and BFÉ merged to form Fáilte Ireland,[1] to better co-ordinate with Tourism Ireland, the all-Ireland body established under the Good Friday Agreement (GFA). The advent of travel websites reduced the usefulness of the RTAs and a 2005 PricewaterhouseCoopers report recommended substantial reorganisation;[20] as a consequence all were dissolved in 2006, except Dublin Tourism, which was made a direct subsidiary of Fáilte Ireland.[21] Dublin Tourism's separate status ended in 2012 in line with a 2011 report by Grant Thornton.[22] [23]

Fáilte Ireland played a leading role in The Gathering Ireland 2013, a year-long programme of events encouraging members of the Irish diaspora to visit their region of origin.

Activities

The goal of Fáilte Ireland is to provide strategic and practical support in the "long-term sustainable growth in the economic, social, cultural and environmental contribution of tourism to Ireland".[2] Fáilte Ireland works with tourism interests to support the industry within the Republic of Ireland in its efforts to be "more profitable and to help individual tourist enterprises enhance their performance".

Its activities fall into four areas:

Management team

NameRole
Paul KellyChief Executive of Fáilte Ireland[24]
Paul KeeleyDirector of Commercial Development
Deborah NolanDirector of Operations
Orla CarrollDirector of Product Development
Niall TraceyDirector of Marketing

On 15 August 2020, the Chairman of Fáilte Ireland, Michael Cawley,[25] resigned after it emerged he travelled to Italy on holiday during the COVID-19 pandemic;[26] his decision to holiday abroad had sparked controversy and criticism as it coincided with a campaign from Fáilte Ireland urging holidaymakers to engage in staycations.[27]

Tourism regions

Fáilte Ireland has identified and markets several tourism regions, including The Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland's Ancient East, and Ireland's Hidden Heartlands.[28]

Dublin Tourism, a somewhat antonymous regional tourism authority, was formerly responsible for promoting tourism in the Dublin region. It merged into Fáilte Ireland in 2012.[29]

See also

References

Sources

Citations

Notes and References

  1. National Tourism Development Authority Act 2003, Sections 37–38
  2. Web site: About Us . failteireland.ie . 8 April 2023 .
  3. National Tourism Development Authority Act 2003, Section 7
  4. Web site: Legal Terms. Failte Ireland. The Website is operated by the National Tourism Development Authority, also known as Fáilte Ireland ("we" or the "Authority"). 30 November 2015.
  5. Web site: fáilte. Ó Dónaill. Niall. Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla. 30 November 2015.
  6. Web site: Ionad Fáilte Éireann d'Oibrithe Turasóireachta. tearma.ie - Dictionary of Irish Terms. 30 November 2015.
  7. Web site: Tuarascáil Bhliantúil 2014 . . 33–34 . Irish . 30 November 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150915102144/http://www.dttas.ie/sites/default/files/publications/corporate/english/annual-report-2014/tuarasc%C3%A1il-bhliant%C3%BAil-2014.pdf . 15 September 2015 .
  8. Web site: Review: Making Ireland Irish. Dean. Joan FitzPatrick. Estudios Irlandeses. Spanish Association for Irish Studies. 30 November 2015.
  9. Web site: Irish Tourist Association Topographical and General Survey Files . corklocalstudies.ie. Cork County Library . 8 April 2023 .
  10. Web site: Irish Tourist Association (I.T.A.) . askaboutireland.ie . 8 April 2023 .
  11. Web site: Tourist Traffic Act, 1939. Irish Statute Book. 30 November 2015.
  12. Furlong . Irene . State Promotion Of Tourism In Independent Ireland . Irish Economic and Social History . 31 . 2004 . 82–84 . 24338744 .
  13. Web site: Irish Tourist Association Survey . Mayo County Council . Mayo County Library . 8 April 2023 .
  14. Web site: The Irish Tourist Association Topographical and General Survey . wicklowheritage.org . 8 April 2023 .
  15. Web site: Tourist Traffic Act, 1952. Irish Statute Book. 30 November 2015.
  16. Web site: Tourist Traffic Act, 1955. Irish Statute Book. 30 November 2015.
  17. Zuelow 2009, p.85
  18. Strategy Advisory Services 2005, p.31 fn.7
  19. Casey and O'Rourke 2011, p.98
  20. Strategy Advisory Services 2005, Chapter 9
  21. Casey and O'Rourke 2011, p.99
  22. Grant Thornton 2011, p.5: "Our overall recommendation is that Dublin Tourism is subsumed into Fáilte Ireland and the board of Dublin Tourism disbanded."
  23. Web site: Our History. About Us. Failte Ireland. 30 November 2015.
  24. Web site: Fáilte Ireland Management Team. failteireland.ie. 14 August 2020.
  25. Web site: Michael Cawley appointed as Chairman-designate of Failte Ireland. failteireland.ie. 1 May 2014. 15 August 2020.
  26. News: Fáilte Ireland Chairman resigns over holiday to Italy. RTÉ News and Current Affairs. Samantha. Libreri. 15 August 2020. 15 August 2020.
  27. News: Fáilte Ireland chairman resigns after travelling to Italy on holiday amid Irish staycation push. Gataveckaite. Gabija. Sheahan. Fionnán. Irish Independent. 15 August 2020. 15 August 2020.
  28. Web site: MacConnell. Eoghan. Fáilte Ireland unveils Hidden Heartlands brand for the midlands. 2021-04-30. The Irish Times. en.
  29. Web site: Our History - Regional tourism organisations . Fáilte Ireland . failteireland.ie . 3 July 2020 .

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