Starting this week leading businesswoman Jennifer McKeever writes a new column for the Derry News
It's easy to feel pretty downbeat, given the political chatter (or lack thereof … we're talking about you, Stormont assembly!) but actually that's not the vibe in much of the business community, and particularly the local tourism economy.
In fact, for many of us who have the privilege of meeting and serving visitors on a daily basis, the mood is very upbeat. You would have to be a true dyed-in-the-cloth cynic not to see the transformation that has taken place in the city over the past five years. The city has become a standalone destination for domestic and international visitors alike, and all the signs are there to indicate that we are only at the start of our ascendancy.
From 2015 to 2016 overnight trips to the city increased by a staggering 26% - in one year. This year that trend has continued, with the first eight months of 2017 finishing as the best performing months on record. Visitor spend (let's be honest, that’s what it's all about) is up 18%, and rising.
Hotel room sales have peaked because peak season has reached capacity and we need more rooms to sell. Three additional hotels are due to open in the near future at Ebrington, Foyle Street and Strand Road. Derry has become a real food and drink hotspot with openings, renovations and expansions across hospitality and hotel venues.
Ebrington is finally – finally! - growing into its potential and, with the addition of the Quiet Man Whiskey Distillery opening in 2018, it will be a true pleasure to see tourists walk across the Peace Bridge to visit both a craft beer brewery and a whiskey distillery. Eat your heart out Bushmills!
Sometimes it's frustratingly hard to see the growth in wealth and jobs when the regional 'economically inactive' figure remains a stubbornly hard one to shift, but it's equally hard to ignore the improvement to the visitor-servicing economy. The product available to our visitors is vastly improved over pre-City of Culture days, and the range and quality continues to grow and improve annually.
Festival power
The Jazz Festival and the Halloween festivals are well established and greatly admired (has your city been named as Best Halloween Festival by USA Today? No? Well, ours has …) and the investment in the marketing and development of the festival and events' calendar is crucial if we are going to see this growth in visitors continue.
There has been a positive and improving collaboration between public and private sectors as both understand that both the marketing and the delivery of any product or service is crucial, and one can't flourish without the other. Other festivals like the City of Derry Choral Festival, Fashion Fest, Legenderry Food Festival, and Sippy of Culture have become real anchors in the city calendar and have been enormously effective motivators for attracting visitors.
I think we'll see a greater focus on the international visitors over the coming years, as we become more sophisticated at attracting specific markets and segments.
It's always a challenge to create a message that attracts new customers while not neglecting your existing ones, but our resources have to be used wisely, and I think we'll see the city and region developing their message to maximize the marketing spend on those international visitors who will stay longer and spend more. Golf, screen and food tourism have become massive motivators for international visitors and we could use our location – an hour away from Ballyliffin and Royal Portrush – to establish ourselves firmly as a hub city for a huge global market coming for the Irish Open and the Open Championship over the next two years.
I know what you're thinking … what about the Big B word? Brexit reminds me of that disconcerting experience of when the sun is shining at the front of your house but if you look out the back door there are big black clouds threatening to break, and you're trying to decide whether you should risk a walk or not. (Spoiler alert – I never risk it).
Brexit is, of course, the great unknown. It is – potentially – a threat to every sector and size of business, and the tourism economy is no different. Visitors servicing businesses are weighing up the risks and trying to make decisions about investments, same as everyone else. Will there be a hard border? An exit from the customs union? A drop in the value of sterling? A drop in the value of euros?
Challenges and opportunities
In my most optimistic moments, I believe that change always brings an opportunity for improvement and that challenges are good for us. Most people in business will tell you that what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger... and the things that actually nearly kill you are the ones that make you the strongest.
The next few years will certainly bring challenges and it's up to us as business and tourism providers to continue to lead, grow and deliver the best product we can to our customers, whether they are from Canada, Crimea or Creggan.
That means ensuring your staff are well trained, and motivated to provide great service. It means staying informed and connected and always finding ways to market your business to as wide an audience as possible. Yes, that means digital platforms. If your customers can't find you online, they can't find you at all.
Be aware that change is coming. Brexit is certainly part of it, but the global market for visitors is changing even without Brexit. Emerging economies like China, India and Russia are providing increasing visitor numbers, and they are high-value propositions with high expectations.
We'll have to fight for our slice of the tourism pie harder and smarter than ever. But I continue to be optimistic for our city and region because I have seen our product improving from standard to above average to genuinely world class, just over the last five years. Imagine what the next five will bring.
* Jennifer McKeever is Managing Director of Airporter and Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce.
If you have a story or want to send a photo or video to us please contact the Derry Now editorial team on 028 7129 6600 for Derry City stories Or 028 7774 3970 for County Derry stories. Or you can email gareth@derrynews.net at any time.