Reply To: Look at de state of Cork, like!

40m landmark – the mind boggles!

So now, within the city centre we will have the Butter Exchange, Shandon, City Gaol and a monument … oh, and a resurfaced main street with lights that look like they’re part of some huge kerplunk game – all for our wonderful tourists. Sure why would you bother going to Milan, Paris, Rome, New York, London, Bath, etc…….etc…?

Guys, until we start to drag ourselves away from our merchant past and refocus to a future mix to include an actual tourism ‘offer’ , no amount of ‘monuments’ will make a difference. This year the Irish tourist activity in the UK was all focused on getting families over here. Do you think the addition of a monument will have them cancelling their week in Magaluf? Similarly ‘Bertie’s Erection’ in Dublin doesn’t bring in any tourists – it does however give them something while there are here (albeit after a few minutes you would wander off to find something else). To paraphrase – “it’s the offer, stupid”. Offer tourists something worthwhile and they will come (come and see all our lovely apartments!). Stick with the status quo or pay lip-service by way of a monument and we remain in the rut. If the grand fathers of city development really wish to increase the tourism appeal of our city there are a lot better places to start spending their money.

Ok, rant over….carry on!