Sport the Major Driver of Hotel Lift

Sports tourism is being credited as the principal driver behind an average eight per cent increase in Dublin hotel room rates during 2012.
Figures released by Hotels.com as part of an annual price index show that the average room rate in Dublin had ow returned to the national average of €90, a rise from €84 in 2011.
The key events highlighted as being behind the rise were the Tall Ships festival in August which drew a huge crowd to the City over three days and nights; Bavaria City Racing when Jensen Button came to town in June; and the Notre Dame Vs Navy game, also in August which drew a crowd of 35,000 largely travelling over from the US, many of whom stayed for an entire week ahead of the match.
A number of hotels around Dublin, including the K Club recorded the week of that match as their busiest and most rewarding in the past three years.
The All Ireland Football Final brought large crowds of Donegal and Mayo supporters not only from the west but from overseas as well.
The Hurling Final going to a replay was also a boost giving an additional major weekend to what might have been anticipated.
On a national level hotel room rates in Ireland showed promising signs of recovery in 2012 with an increase of 5% year-on-year and an average hotel price of €90 per night. The modest recovery in prices can be attributed to a number of factors including festivals, concerts, conference and one off sporting events which all helped drive demand and increase occupancy.
Belfast experienced the largest rise in prices up 18% year-on-year to €90 on average. It was a significant year for tourism in Northern Ireland with the opening of the Titanic Experience in April 2012 and Portrush in Co. Antrim hosted the Irish Open at the end of June 2012.
Hotel prices in Galway rose 3% in 2012 and are now just €1 behind Ireland’s most expensive destination, Killarney. As a popular tourist destination, Galway’s prices have always remained relatively robust but sport was again very much to the fore with the city hosting the last leg of the Volvo Ocean Race in June and July helping further increase demand.
The Hotels.com Hotel Price Index (HPI) is a regular survey of hotel prices in major destinations across the world. The HPI is based on bookings made on Hotels.com and prices shown are those actually paid by customers around the world (rather than advertised rates) in 2012.
“The latest figures show promising signs of recovery for the Irish hotel market across the board. Events driven tourism, and sporting events in particular, has been key driver of occupancy throughout 2012 and has hugely benefited hoteliers across the country,” said Seamus MacCormaic of Hotels.com
 
Figure 1: Average price per room per night in 2012 compared with 2011  
 

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