In an off-the-cuff remark, Woods told one television interviewer about the course's beauty, the warm welcome he had received and even mentioned the good fishing opportunities that the country offers. It was a ringing endorsement from the world's best golfer. His comments were manna from heaven for tourism chiefs. Tony Donegan is manager of the independent marketing services department of Bord Failte.
He says: "This interview went coast-to-coast in the US and around the world. You couldn't put a price on the value of those remarks to the country and they were off-the-cuff comments about Ireland as a destination." The golf tournament attracted 12m television viewers in America, according to Bord Failte.
So while Ireland's bid to co-host the 2008 European soccer championships may have fallen flat on its face last month, the country is set to receive a huge economic spin-off from the hosting of several major sporting events in 2003. About 100,000 overseas visitors are expected to visit Ireland to watch or participate in sporting events this year, yielding more than €100m for the local economy. This will delight those in the hard-pressed tourism sector, particularly businesses offering accommodation around the country as they seek to plug the gaps created by the combined effects of September 11 and the slowing global economy.
Sport is big business these days, something that was recognised by the government in the late 1990s under Jim McDaid's watch as tourism minister. The international sports tourism initiative was launched at the start of 2000 under the umbrella of Bord Failte. Its aim is simple: to identify big sporting events that could be hosted by Ireland and bring with them an economic spin-off.
To achieve this, Bord Failte has been given €55.3m by the government to attract such events up to 2007, with €5.4m of this being spent this year alone. "There's no doubt that hosting these major sports events does have a huge positive benefit for tourism," says Donegan. Taking pride of place in the Irish sporting calendar this year is the Special Olympics World Summer Games that will be hosted in Dublin in June — the first time it has been staged outside America. About 7,000 athletes will compete, accompanied by 3,000 coaches and media and about 15,000 family and other supporters.
It is the largest sports event to be held in the country, costing €56m to stage. It is set to generate €75m in revenue for the economy. Ronan King is a board member of the games' organising committee and a partner in BDO Simpson Xavier, the Irish accounting firm. "We're expecting between 60,000 and 65,000 for the opening ceremony in Croke Park," says King.
The athletes and their families will stay in towns and cities around the country before arriving in the capital for the games in June. "So the benefit will be spread around," adds King. There is the added benefit of the global television coverage the event will receive and the potential bonus for Ireland as a tourism destination. Equally exciting is rugby's Heineken European cup final, which will be hosted at Lansdowne Road in May.
Organisers expect at least 30,000 overseas fans to descend on Dublin for the weekend of the match and the city's chamber of commerce estimates this will generate €40m-€50m for the local economy. The event was hosted by Ireland in 1999 when Ulster won. Six thousand tickets for the match sold out within hours of going on sale through Ticketmaster last Friday.
The remaining tickets will be distributed after the finalists are known. This is to say nothing of the Six Nations matches that Ireland will host against England and France. Between 6,000 and 7,000 tickets are officially allocated to visiting fans, although thousands more will travel, regardless of whether or not they can attend the matches. "You'll find that many groups will come over and stay in the likes of Galway, Limerick, Wexford and Kilkenny just for the social aspect of the match weekends," the IRFU says.
Niall Geoghegan, marketing and sales director with Jurys Doyle Hotels, Ireland's largest hotel group, says these two games will generate about €1.2m for the group in room bookings and food and beverage sales. Jurys owns about 10% of hotel rooms in Dublin. Given its spread of properties throughout Ireland, Jurys benefits from the hosting of virtually every sporting event.
"We have a fix on every major sports event at least one year in advance and we work out our yield position that far in advance," Geoghegan says. Dublin will also host the Irish Open golf tournament, the European short-course swimming championships and three European Championship football qualifiers, including the crunch tie with Russia in September.
Kildare will host the Smurfit European Open golf, the most lucrative event on the European tour; the British Touring Car Championships in Mondello Park and the European Eventing Championships. That says nothing of the overseas interest in the GAA's All Ireland finals in September, the leading horse racing fixtures and the Dublin marathon, which attracts 5,000 overseas runners and generates €12m for the economy, according to organisers.
The European Eventing Championships, held over three days at Punchestown in mid-September, will attract up to 15,000 equestrian fans from various parts of the Continent. Tim Philips, chief executive of International Sport Horse Show Ltd, which is organising the event, says: "Fans of equestrian sports might not number those of other sports but they tend to be a dedicated bunch and travel the world regularly to the championships."
Tickets worth €10,000 have been sold since they went on sale on the internet last month. "This is a phenomenal figure for such a short time frame," Philips says. This is another Bord Failte-backed event and offers the tourism body valuable air time around the world. Philips says the championship will be covered by 90 broadcasters in 20 countries, with the BBC taking live coverage on the Saturday and Sunday of competition.
Philips described the government's strategy for attracting sports events as "very, very clever". "There's no doubt that it's a very profitable exercise for the country, especially at a time when the tourism industry is not doing so well," he says. If the championship runs smoothly, then there is also the possibility of another bid for the World Equestrian Games (WEG), which also includes showjumping and dressage.
Ireland was previously granted the 1998 WEG, but the event ran into planning and financial difficulties and the government pulled the plug. Another attempt could be made to host the event. But Philips says: "Let's do this first and see what happens. I don't want to think of anything else for now."
