Irish tourism offering golf contest

Tourism Ireland is honouring
Rory McIlroy's U.S. Open win
and making golfer happy.

The only thing I like more than Irish whiskey is Irish golf.

So you know I was excited when Tourism Ireland sent out word today that, in honour of Rory McIlroy's recent win at the U.S. Open, they're holding a contest where the lucky winner will win a trip for four to this year's Irish Open, to be played at the famed Killarney course July 28-30.

I'm already stuffing the ballot box!

You have until July 18 to enter and the prize includes return economy flights, rental vehicle, accommodation, a round of golf and tickets to the 2011 Irish Open for the winner and three friends.

You can find out more by visiting  http://goo.gl/IHnEY

If you've never played golf in Ireland, well then, you've never played golf. The Scots may have invented the game but the Irish perfected it by building the best courses in the world - most border great bodies of water and small quaint towns which just happen to have the best pubs and friendliest locals in the world.

For full contest rules, visit http://www.discoverireland.com/ca-en/forms/confirmation/rules17

Ireland cuts tax to promote tourism

Castles and reduced taxes make Ireland a great
 vacation option for Canadians this summer.

My friends over at Tourism Ireland - one of the best tourism organizations operating in Canada - sent out word today that the Irish government has introduced a new tourism inititative that will see the tax charged on tourism-related goods slashed from the current 13.5 per cent to 9 per cent.

That's great news for Canadian travellers who are looking for bargains in Europe to offset the strength of the euro versus the dollar. The Irish government announcement means cheaper prices at restaurants and hotels but the tax cut also extends to things like cinemas, theatres, museums, fairgrounds, amusement parks and sporting facilities like golf - all things that tourists like to do while on vacation.

Starting July 1 of this year, flights into Dublin will also be cheaper thanks to the elimination of the €10 (C$14) Air Travel Tax. Air Canada and Air Transat operate regional flights to Ireland.

Ireland is still basking in the attention it got from two high profile visits recently - the first by the Queen and then U.S. President Barack Obama (or O'Bama as the Irish like to call him).

Ireland was recently recognized as having the cheapest hotels and as being the cheapest country to visit in Western Europe in a survey by Hotels.com, which also rated Dublin as one of its “best-value cities”.

For more information on the tax reductions and other offers to Ireland, go to www.discoverireland.com/hotoffers

O'Bama kicks off his Irish tour

You can bet O'Bama will pull a pint in an Irish pub.

Tourism Ireland is hoping U.S. President Barack O'Bama's - let's make the President truly Irish - visit to the Emerald Isle this week will help encourage more Americans to make travel plans to the prettiest patch of green in the world.

Ireland is where O'Bama has some firm family roots - it's the home of his great, great grandfather, and let's face it, with all its economic woes, Ireland needs all the help it can get.

I have no worries O'Bama will love Ireland - I'd rank it among the Top 10 places in the world I've visited.

He won't have much time there so he'll miss Lahinch, one of the loveliest towns I've ever set foot in and whose seaside golf course is legendary, and of course Gallway, my favourite place in Ireland.

Gallway is where Christopher Columbus left from to discover the New World and it has a great connection to the Kennedy family - former president John F. Kennedy visited Gallway when he was in the Oval Office. Gallway's Old Town with its ancient book stores and quaint fish and chip shops is a delight.

I'm not a big fan of Dublin - too rowdy - but I must admit its coloured doors and parks charmed me.

Irish security officials have been put to the test the last few weeks - the Queen left Ireland a few days before O'Bama arrived - but you can bet the U.S. President will get a warmer welcome.

Low class Ryanair ups fees again

The day budget airlines in Europe started charging to use bathrooms aboard flights – I’m not kidding – that’s the day they went from being “low cost airlines” to “low class airlines” in my opinion.

And the sky is the limit with these low class carriers when it comes to passing along fees to you.

The latest is what amounts to a $3 (U.S.) levy Ireland’s Ryanair is charging passengers on all flights in order to cover costs of flight cancellations, delays and to meet obligation guidelines set down by the European Union for “force-majeure” incidents.

That’s on top of the fuel surcharges, extra baggage fees and of course the bathroom usage levy that Ryanair is already taxing passengers with.

The low class carrier has endured 15,000 flight cancellations and delays over the last year and Ryanair says that’s cost them almost $200 million.

Hey folks, when it comes to low class airlines, you get what you pay for and with Ryanair that’s not much. Next they’ll be charging for seat cushions – oops, I hope I haven’t given them another money-making scheme to sit on!

Visit Britain downsizing in Canada

The exodus and/or downsizing in Canada of European tourism bureaus continues at a record pace.

I just learned that Visit Britain has decided to drop a couple of employees at its Toronto office - leaving two people to defend British Tourist interests here in Canada. The downsizing from four to two will be complete by summer's end and is all part of the British government's budget cutbacks.

I've also learned that Visit Britain's offices in New York will soon close and tourism staff will be moved to Britain's consulate offices in the Big Apple.

In the past few years, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal and the Czech Republic have all abandoned Canada - citing cost cutbacks as the reason - and Germany's once powerful tourist office in Toronto has been reduced to one desk in a local PR company. How sad!

While others pull out, Switzerland is staying in Canada. Ironically, the Swiss have just moved into offices in the German consulate on University Ave., which were once occupied by the German National Tourism Board. The Germans hired a Toronto PR firm last year to handle their tourism interets in Canada.

We hear that cash-strapped Greece and Ireland may be the next to leave town.

European Union countries are investing all their euros in emerging tourism markets like China and India and have none left for long-time supporters like Canada.

The EU tourism folks did not even renew the contract of their fine long-time Canadian representative John Stephenson this year.

Maybe it's time Canadian travellers give up on Europe since they've given up on us!