Fully agree that our games offer a further dimension in promoting tourism. They are uniquely Irish /Gaelic. Of course it would require some support work and marketing at both local, national and international level. Where there's a will there's a way!

As far as pricing goes why not simply encourage tourist attendance at local level for club matches by offering free attendance or basic nominal prices. Surely local hotels could be proactive in the interests of their guests in this scenario - as well as providing some basic support in explaining the game[s] by someone accompanying the tourists etc.

At a more serious level there is scope for serious development up to at least the quarter final stages - apart from possibly provincial finals. Creative and non-expensive pricing packages could be offered to hotels / tour companies.

While we need to always try to improve facilities, I wouldn't be overly concerned about them as long as basic WC facilities are in place and well maintained. [Fix all broken locks on cubicles for a start! It's not rocket science and is down to unacceptably low management standards!].

Of course there are challenges in the way, but the opportunities are far greater. Promoting our games shouldn't be just left to [the] Sky! What's to stop the local GAA club inviting tourists from the community's hotels or b& b's to a free game - or one at a nominal cost? But again, provide support for the tourists in explain the game.

Tourism is built on developing good relations & a positive image. Our games have much to offer in this regard but there's no need to wait on GAA HQ or Failte Ireland!

drumlingael (Monaghan) - Posts: 40 - 04/07/2014 10:01:03    1613484

Because we don't bother our arse marketing it to them properly.

Killarney.87 (Tipperary) - Posts: 2513 - 04/07/2014 10:26:26    1613509

Because they all come for Orangefest!

Naysayer (Antrim) - Posts: 2071 - 04/07/2014 10:29:58    1613514

I think it's partly to do with laziness. That we won't speculate to accumulate to try and make some money and would rather find reasons not to try it than take a chance.

I saw one way that might possibly encourage tourists who like a bargain to pay full price for tickets. I was on a bus tour in a US city. With my tickets I got a catalog of various businesses around. The catalog entitled me to various stuff, 5% off souvenirs in a tourist shop, free coffee with a mains and desert in a restaurant, etc etc. American visitors are big into the auld bargains and could be enticed that way.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7346 - 04/07/2014 11:23:02    1613564

Because it's not part of the 'oficial Ireland' package, which the yuppies in charge would like people to thino represents Ireland - Guinness, riverdance, golf and rugby, Grafton street and ballymaloe

flack (Dublin) - Posts: 1054 - 04/07/2014 12:02:38    1613613

It doesn't matter what country you travel to anyway, all you get to see is the homogenized c@@p that yuppies and tourist want to swallow or are told to, that's why you never really experience a country unless you work there amongst the ordinary people, as I'm sure the tanks here will testify

flack (Dublin) - Posts: 1054 - 04/07/2014 12:07:19    1613619

Flack, if they get their way Cricket and Polo will be next !

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7346 - 04/07/2014 12:09:04    1613621

03/07/2014 13:42:02 GreenandRed
With the Sky Sports, Channel 7 in Australia and GAAgo deals the GAA claim to be promoting the GAA abroad.
However each summer there are tens of thousands of empty seats at playoff games. Strangely there are thousands of tourists here at the same time being ferried around our great country on " Essential Landmarks to see within the week" tours but seeing little of our national heritage.
If the GAA and Discover Ireland won't encourage tourists to go to games then we should at least try doing so ourselves.
Surely an extra few hundred at some games could only have a beneficial effect on the local shops, pubs and restaurants and maybe a few more jersies sold? Stadium standards help attract people and most irish stadiums are crap by worldwide standards.
Poor marketing by county boards, gaa etc doesn't help
03/07/2014 16:10:38 JayP
Yeah Brend, we usually see and hear people with funny accents about twice a summer in Dublin......
We call them Tyrone fans. Couldn't you say that about most counties.....

03/07/2014 17:58:56 Fishermantom
When I go to America why do I want to go see NFL,MLB,NHL and NBA games? well there are a lod of reasons, like internationally recognised stars, movies which promote them, the rich history which even at this side of the atlantic we have an affinity towards and of course cheerleaders. the cheerleaders being the best reason,
Why would many tourists come to a wet and windy gaa match of a tuesday afternoon to watch a junior a hurling/football match that they probabaly dont understand.
That being said I noticed a group of americans at a junior hurling match last week being looked after by a local who was hosting them and they loved it. Will they make a return jounery especially for it next year? most likely not but heres hopin You try get tourists to inter county games as its easier to promote to them than club games especially junior level....
03/07/2014 20:24:02 Marlon_JD
Outside of Croke Park, are any of our stadiums really suitable for a tourist experience? I mean, I love Thurles, but its by no means a modern stadium, certainly lacking the facilities that tourists from the USA, Japan, Britain, Germany etc would be used to in their stadia. If you were on your holliers some place, and you had to think of the best way to spend your time, would you chose to spend to spend a few hours sitting in a cramped seat, on a stand with little or no roofing (with a 60% chance of rain), or in a terrace with drunken kids acting the maggot, with third world toilet facilities?
Its a tough sell. very fair point.

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 04/07/2014 12:10:49    1613624

04/07/2014 10:01:03 drumlingael
Fully agree that our games offer a further dimension in promoting tourism. They are uniquely Irish /Gaelic. Of course it would require some support work and marketing at both local, national and international level. Where there's a will there's a way!
As far as pricing goes why not simply encourage tourist attendance at local level for club matches by offering free attendance or basic nominal prices. Surely local hotels could be proactive in the interests of their guests in this scenario - as well as providing some basic support in explaining the game[s] by someone accompanying the tourists etc. At a more serious level there is scope for serious development up to at least the quarter final stages - apart from possibly provincial finals. Creative and non-expensive pricing packages could be offered to hotels / tour companies. While we need to always try to improve facilities, I wouldn't be overly concerned about them as long as basic WC facilities are in place and well maintained. [Fix all broken locks on cubicles for a start! It's not rocket science and is down to unacceptably low management standards!]. Of course there are challenges in the way, but the opportunities are far greater. Promoting our games shouldn't be just left to [the] Sky! What's to stop the local GAA club inviting tourists from the community's hotels or b& b's to a free game - or one at a nominal cost? But again, provide support for the tourists in explain the game. Tourism is built on developing good relations & a positive image. Our games have much to offer in this regard but there's no need to wait on GAA HQ or Failte Ireland! You would attract visitors more by getting them to try hurling with a skills demonstration etc where they can take part and then take them to an intercounty game if possible as that's the top grade. club games while ok will not show off the sports like county games.
Facilities are a big thing especially if you are talking about visitors who are used to the most modern of modern stadiums...

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 04/07/2014 12:11:11    1613625

The thrills and spills and excitement of inercounty games should be more appealing to visitors than a skills demo, although trying the games, especially for kids has some appeal.

Atmosphere should trump facilities which do need upgrading for all.

How many of us know a nice timid couple in their 70s who turn into partisan lunatics when shouting and roaring for their county? The foreign visitors would be amazed by this and other sights at achampionship game.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7346 - 04/07/2014 12:59:26    1613674

There tends to be a lot of tourist for matches in Croke Park, mainly in the summer months. However I never notice many in other stadiums. Croke Park is probably more of a tourist attraction than the others.

source (Dublin) - Posts: 35 - 04/07/2014 13:25:16    1613700

Agree with source
Over the last few years I have seen plenty tourists in croker
I think they must be doing a good job in that area

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 04/07/2014 21:45:08    1613980

04/07/2014 10:29:58
Naysayer
County: Antrim
Posts: 657

1613514
Because they all come for Orangefest!

+1(2th)!!

an tseabhac (Kerry) - Posts: 441 - 05/07/2014 15:30:04    1614086

There are plenty of tourists in Croke Park.

But if the GAA and Discover Ireland and whatever other tourism organisations marketed them properly we could see a lot more at games and not just in the capital. Give them a real taste of Ireland.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7346 - 05/07/2014 16:55:11    1614112

I remember a few years back the all Ireland club finals were held on the same day as an Ireland six nations match. Apparently, tourists were encouraged to watch the rugby in order to see a true taste of Ireland.
Now I have nothing against rugby, but for the life of me I cant see how watching a British sport gives a tourist a true taste of Irishness. If our tourist board can convince tourists to visit the back end of the back end of ballymacnowhere, they should have an easy time convincing them to watch our own fantastic sports, which as far as I am concerned are the most beautiful expressions of our culture.

joncarter (Galway) - Posts: 2692 - 05/07/2014 17:38:21    1614131

Rebooting this seeing as there'll be more than 40,000 empty seats in Croker this Sunday and more than that number walking around Dublin on a Bank Holiday Sunday with many things closed and little for them to do. Tell them if ye see them. 3 games for €30 !

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7346 - 01/08/2014 17:52:59    1629555

I work in a Language School(not all of them have been shut down) and have recently taught a lesson on GAA. The students were very interested and intrigued by the sport, but they have very little awareness of the GAA. Some of these students have been living in Dublin for over a year and have no idea what Gaelic or hurling is. Yes money does play a part in it and a lot of them are reluctant to spend 30 euro on a match ticket, which is two weeks food shopping they tell me. I have coerced some Brazilian students into attending and ensured they will be fully behind the green and red! I genuinely think that given adequate publicity and marketing you would get great numbers of language students to attend. As it stands they have no idea what the sport is, when matches take place and where to buy tickets. It's definitely a major aspect of Irish culture to be explored by tourists looking to truly experience what it's like to be Irish. Definitely an avenue for the GAA to examine, just as long as they stay away on All Ireland Sunday!!

the_gatekeeper (Mayo) - Posts: 82 - 01/08/2014 19:57:30    1629591

Gatekeeper they should get a few quid off by showing a student card if they have one? Used to be the case anyway. There's a fair few tourists that have a few quid to spend, it might simply be a case of enticing them, letting them know the games are on, where and what time. It saddens me to see coaches ferrying groups of tourists, usually in the 40 and older bracket around to the usual photo-opportunity spots like The Cliffs of Moher and The Giants Causeway.At some stage a lot of them are ferried into some pub into Temple Bar pub to get ripped off eating a traditional Irish dinner, listen to terrible so-called traditional Irish music and pay €7:50 for lefthanded pints. Bring them into Croker, or Semple, or McHale Park or any of our fine stadia, watch a great game that they've never seen before, hurling or football then view or participate in the post-match craic.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7346 - 01/08/2014 21:33:23    1629639

The GAA can't even encourage the people of Ulster and surrounding counties to attend hurling games so they have little chance of encouraging foreigners.

4KHDoneill (Derry) - Posts: 182 - 02/08/2014 14:49:41    1629848