New Kerry tourism image is launched as old body disbands

For the first time in almost half a century, the Cork/Kerry region has freshened up its brand - a development which the board of Cork/Kerry Tourism says it hopes will “re-energise” interest in the product on offer.

The company behind the Cork/Kerry Tourism brand, South West Regional Tourism Authority, is now in the process of being wound down and all the directors will resign with a new 10-person board being formed in the near future, Cork/Kerry Tourism chairman John Ahern told The Kingdom.

“The company started the process of disbanding on Friday and will follow all the proper procedures for dissolving a limited company,” he said.

This comes as a result of a review put in place for tourism by Price Waterhouse Coopers, which advised that Cork/Kerry Tourism be dissolved and all its properties and staff to revert to F·ilte Ireland.

The rebranding exercise will seek to position the Cork/Kerry region within what the “extended family” of the Ireland market, according to Mr Ahern.

“We are within a whole new family now and will be showing how the region is the best place to be so we will be positioning ourselves within the family in a big brother role,” he said.

The launch of this new Cork/Kerry brand, which took place in Killarney on Monday, was the culmination of almost a year’s work by representatives of the tourism industry in the region and the brand designers.

The new brand - involving an advertising campaign, new logo and merchandise --is to play a major role in future marketing promotions for Cork/Kerry as a destination as well as supporting the efforts of all those who promote tourism in the south west.

Tourism Minister John O’Donoghue was on hand to perform the launch, at the Brehon Hotel in Killarney, where Cork/Kerry Tourism rolled out a new logo and marketing materials as well as giving those in attendance a taste of the comprehensive advertising campaign which is to commence in coming months.

Mr Ahern said the Cork/Kerry region has been an innovator in the world of tourism since its inception, introducing new products and experienced on an ongoing basis.

“Because our business is about meeting and anticipating the needs of visitors, our product offering has greatly evolved to meet the challenges of today’s contemporary marketplace.

The new Cork/Kerry brand aligns the destination we are today with the image we project in the marketplace and our future aspirations,” he said.

The launch of the new brand is more than a mere logo change, added Mr Ahern, but is a strategic approach to how the product of the region is presented and how the region is differentiated in the domestic and international marketplace.

“When you consider the depth of our service/product offering, the expertise that we have in the industry and the experience gained of servicing visitors for over 250 years, the Cork/Kerry region has unparalleled insight into the tourism industry.

“We understand what’s now and what’s next in the changing world of tourism and use this knowledge to help our trade partners win business and to communicate our extensive product offering to potential visitors.

“As such, we are the most successful tourism destination, outside of Dublin, in Ireland, and many of our competing destinations now look to us for guidance,” Mr Ahern stated.

As international holiday bed nights in the Cork Kerry region have declined in recent years, it is critical now that tourism interests re-energise interest form key source markets, he said.

“The Cork Kerry region has evolved dramatically over the past few years and it is important that visitors to the region have a clear impression of what we have to offer in the region.

“It is also important for out colleagues in F·ilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland to have a clear understanding of where we wish to position the Cork/Kerry region within the overall Irish brand.”

http://archives.tcm.ie/thekingdom/2006/05/11/story20456.asp