For obvious reasons, the Irish travel industry relies heavily on UK tourists. So, when the global recession hit the UK, Ireland experienced an immediate drop in revenues from tourism. The recession lasted for eighteen long months, in which time travel to Ireland fell by more than ten percent.
Fortunately, the UK emerged from the crisis in the last quarter of 2009. But their economy is far from healthy. According to the latest numbers, the debt has reached a record high and unemployment is on the rise. As you might expect, these are not statistics that encourage foreign travel. Perhaps that is why most UK residents are going on holiday at home.
How does one go on vacation at home? Well, they call them staycations and they are when a UK resident travels at home or to another UK nation. Because travel rates to UK nations are much cheaper for residents, folks can see places they have never been. After all, most UK residents have not visited all of the countries in the UK. What about Dublin holiday apartments?
Since travel from the UK has declined, many hotels have had to reduce their rates. Another popular stratagem is to offer package deals that include hotel rooms, airfare and rental cars. But what are apartment owners to do?
Vacation rentals are an important part of the travel industry in Europe. For decades they have offered users lower rates and more privacy on their trips. Unfortunately, most vacation apartment owners have suffered mightily in recent years. The simple fact is that they do not have the money to compete for customers with the major hotels. This has led to a sharp decline in the number of guests in Ireland.