By
Anonym |
This article was first published in the Autumn/Winter 2017 issue of International Cruise & Ferry Review. All information was correct at the time of printing, but may since have changed.
Less than 20 years ago, Ireland was a new destination for cruise travellers. As recent as seven or eight years ago, the people of Ireland were completely unaware that their country was becoming more and more popular among the world’s biggest cruise lines. Fast forward to 2017 and it’s a completely different story. “The Irish people are now fully aware of the ships that call into our ports and each destination thrives on the tourism brought to it by the cruise industry,” McCarthy explains.
Ireland has a lot to offer. “Ireland is famous for its food and drink. Cooking or baking demos and tastings are ever popular, but we are also finding that the humble Irish soda bread and scones are now being challenged by the more original combinations of chocolate and whiskey or oysters and Guinness,” McCarthy explains. “Traditional Irish dishes are taking on a new slant in order for the industry to offer more unique options to our visitors. The Irish potato is now being promoted with boxty – a traditional Irish potato pancake that has been known to be made into fries, dumplings and even boxty bread ice cream. Foraging tours, micro distilleries, and walking or tasting tours are offering return guests an alternative way to see our destination.”
McCarthy says that the bestselling tours in Dublin include a city drive with a short inside visit to the Book of Kells and/or St Patrick’s Cathedral. “The best received are the tours that include lunch or dinner with traditional music and Irish dancing,” she explains. “Scenic drives into the countryside to visit some of our spectacular gardens also prove very popular but the tour that always receives good feedback is Irish for a day – this includes a visit to a family-run farm where guests can feed the animals, bake bread or scones, learn a few words of our Irish language, learn some of our own sports and lots more.”
In Belfast, meanwhile, the winner is always the Giant’s Causeway. “Again, the myths and legends surrounding this site entice people up,” McCarthy says.
And a trip to Ireland wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Blarney Castle. “It is always the must-see in Cork – everyone wants to kiss the stone so they too can have that gift of eloquence!”
But McCarthy says that none of these tours would be successful without a high-performing, friendly, knowledgeable guide. “We can have a leisurely drive with no visits but a guide who will bring the tour to life and guests will thoroughly enjoy their experience. On the other hand, if we have a content-packed tour and a guide with facts but no story or personality, then the experience is not what we Irish stand for!”
“We are a nation of storytellers, poets and musicians and it is this reputation that makes our tour experiences stand out,” McCarthy explains. “Anyone can learn the facts and rhyme them off in an interesting manner, but a story to bring those facts into context is what separates a good guide and a great guide. We can dedicate our season to putting together the best tour programme our country can offer, but we depend on the guides to deliver this tour programme and turn the guests’ dreams of Ireland to reality.”
What’s also crucial to success is that the shorex companies, tourist boards and cruise lines work together. “We have a very strong relationship with the local tourist offices in each port,” says McCarthy. “We also value our relationships with the ports themselves and the shipping agents. These relationships are vital for the success of any call to our ports. Successful tourism is built on friendliness, hospitality and cooperation. Before the guests even arrive on our shores it is so important to us that the basis of our business be built on these three elements. We can then continue this friendliness, hospitality and cooperation in our relationship with the guests to ensure that their trip of a lifetime lives up to their expectations.”
It’s these values that McCarthy believes are the foundation of Excursions Ireland’s success. “Our company is unique in that we specialise in providing shore excursions for cruise lines only. We are the only operator in Ireland that focuses only in this market. We are a small family company with a huge personality. Our extended family of guides and drivers emphasise the friendly hospitality that guests experience on the pier – each guest is treated like a lifelong friend and all leave feeling a little more Irish than they did when they arrive!”