Kilkenny Tourism on overcoming and adapting to the challenges of Covid 19

A collaborative and innovative approach is paying dividends to Kilkenny Tourism as the city and county continues to attract significant numbers of visitors.
Kilkenny is heavily reliant on tourism with an estimated one in six people employed in the industry. When the pandemic hit almost two years ago the industry was decimated with lockdowns and stay at home restrictions. Fortunately the key stakeholders in Kilkenny’s tourism industry decided to come up with constructive and attractive offerings to entice consumers to visit Kilkenny when restrictions were lifted.
Chair of Kilkenny Tourism, Ciarán Conroy explained that while recent times have been ‘very challenging’, he remarked that it was also ‘extremely rewarding to see such resilience and cooperation in these extremely difficult times’.
“In March 2020 the world changed. People were anticipating a good season and then things changed with Covid. The ways people worked together and responded has been inspirational.
“Kilkenny Tourism is made up of 160 members from various sectors including attractions, hotels, restaurants and festivals who have all pulled together. We are a voluntary organisation, supported by Kilkenny County Council, and we are primarily there to market Kilkenny as a destination to the world,” he said.
In pre-pandemic times Kilkenny enjoyed large numbers of international visitors but during the summer of 2021 Kilkenny relied heavily on the domestic market.
“When we opened back up in June Kilkenny performed very well and had higher occupancy rates than Killarney.
“We have had to rely predominantly on domestic visitors. Kilkenny has always performed well with domestic visitors. Destinations that were reliant on inbound visitors were more affected. We have a strong domestic market which made it easier to transition,” said Mr Conroy who said that prior to the pandemic Kilkenny attracted 70% of its visitors from overseas and 30% from the domestic market.
Kilkenny’s success in attracting significant numbers of domestic visitors is in part due to the way it has adapted to the pandemic. Outdoor tourism is now one of it’s strongest selling points and Kilkenny Tourism have developed and marketed this well. At the moment the city is enjoyed Yulefest, a magical month of festive events, many of which are held outdoors. Trail Kilkenny has done trojan work in recent years and the city and county are now reaping the rewards as friends and families want to spend time socialising and engaging in leisure activities outdoors.
The response to the pandemic by local businesses has also been impressive and is instrumental in ensuring that Kilkenny maintains it’s reputation as a safe place to visit.
“Over 100 organisations signed up to the Covid Charter with Fáilte Ireland and all that takes investment and time,” said Mr Conroy adding that there was ‘investment and funding in moving to outdoor’.
“There has been constant dialogue with the members and other key stakeholders. The Tourism Recovery Taskforce, which was set up as a response to the pandemic, led the way and businesses and the local authority went the extra mile in developing public spaces.
Kilkenny has been successful in obtaining funding to develop and create safe outdoor spaces with people can gather and enjoy the city.
“The Outdoor Kilkenny brand was developed from scratch and we have had a very positive reaction to it. A lot of hotels and attractions have invested in outdoors.
“There is going to be a lot of change and continuous change. I think that things will chage dramatically. Consumers are looking for safety and authenticity and for a customised trail when they visit.
“Outdoors will play a huge part in this. I think Covid has brought people back to a simpler way of being and it gave people time to reflect and go back to the simpler things.”
There have been several creative outdoor offerings including the Kilkenny Catwalk which has proved to be a resounding success and has opened up the city to visitors. The 21 five foot cats are inspired by Cartoon Saloon’s Pangur Bán.
“Cartoon Saloon were wonderful partners. We went to artists locally and nationally and they used their creativity. The trail has helped to open up and showcase the city on a tourist trail.”
Mr Conroy said that Kilkenny Tourism are appreciative both to Fáilte Ireland and the local authority for the support that they have received. He also acknowledged the great contribution that the Kilkenny Welcome Team, a group of volunteers have made.
“It is about lighting a few candles, instead of cursing the darkness,” said Mr Conroy. With the continued support and vision of its members and the support of the local community the future of tourism in Kilkenny is bright.