Download Business Level Strategy

Research Title
“Whistle Past the Church No More:”
Adding Value to Brand Experience Tourism in
Dublin’s Liberties
Tony Kiely,
School of Hospitality Management and Tourism,
Faculty of Tourism and Food,
Dublin Institute of Technology,
Cathal Brugha Street,
Dublin, 1.
The Challenge?

To investigate the development of a localised
ecclesiastical heritage trail in Dublin’s Liberties

Through collaboration and creativity among
suppliers

That might add value to the localised brand
tourism experience
Cultural/Heritage Experience

Exponential growth in demand for
cultural/heritage tourist experiences
(Fáilte Ireland 2007)

Key driver of destination attractiveness and
competitiveness (OECD 2009)
Contextualising the Challenge

Although Dublin is still perceived as a cultural
city
Dublin Visitor Survey (2008)

There is a decline in visitor perception towards
the city’s visitor attractions
Dublin Visitor Survey (2008)
•
Contextualising the Challenge

Over I,000,000 tourists are expected to visit
the Guinness Storehouse in 2009

Many of the above will pass within the shadows
of significant church heritage attractions
Contextualising the Challenge

Access to these sites is relatively easy-72% of
visitors view “walking” as the favoured means of
getting around Dublin
Dublin Visitor Survey (2008)

Yet, access is also difficult - in 2009, some of
these church heritage attractions will either
remain closed, or have time-limited access
Research Aim

Is there support for, or antipathy towards, the
development of an ecclesiastical / heritage
tourist trail among suppliers and facilitators in
the Liberties Area of Dublin?
The Liberties Area of Dublin

A run-down and neglected part of the city

The area is culturally rich

Seven significant church heritage sites located
there

Location of the Guinness Storehouse
Getting to the Storehouse;
Where Things Usually Start!
Where Things End ;
The “Honeypot” Attraction
Churches Along the Way

A number of different denominational churches
lie within the walking path;
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Christ Church Cathedral
St. Werburgh’s
St, Audeon’s
John’s Lane Church
St. Catherine’s
St Nicholas OF Myra
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Christ Church Cathedral
St Werburgh’s Church
St. Audeon’s Churches
The Lucky Stone
John’s Lane Church
John’s Lane Interior
St. Catherine’s Church
Church Tourism

Sustained exponential growth
(Shackley 2002)

Traditional visitor experience factors
(spiritual merit and nostalgia)

Post modern visitor experience factors
(knowledge acquisition, curiosity)
A Resultant Challenge

To balance a need to conserve church fabric
with the provision of a high quality experience
for the visitor
Churches as Visitor Spaces

Creative usage may impact on worshipper
rights

Source of revenue for churches
Supply Stakeholders

Those interested in preservation

Those interested in tourism development

Those interested in presentation

Those interested in education
Barriers to Usage of Churches as
Tourist Attractions

Problems associated with uncontrolled footfall

Perceived diminution of authenticity

Tourists as irritants

Ethics of revenue generation
Supplier/Facilitator Conflict

Maximisation of profit margins

Raising awareness

Generation of revenue streams

Delivery of net social benefit
Collaboration and Creativity
•
Collaborative domain destination strategy
•
Geographic packaging
•
Pooling resources
Collaboration and Creativity

Experiential marketing (avoiding the
commodification trap)

Animation and mediation

Moving from the passive to the active

Use of technology
The Conundrum

How might key informants respond to the
creative challenges posed by the possibility of a
synergistic approach to developing a localised
heritage trail
Methodology

Interviews with key supply side informants
(ongoing)

Parallel interviews with two groups of visitors
(a limited demand side perspective)
Findings
Findings are grouped under three themes • Attitudes to tourism and the development of a
heritage trail
• Supply side constraints
• Opportunities for creativity and collaboration
Attitudes to Tourism and the
Development of a Heritage Trail

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Strong consciousness of the tourist volume in
the area
Wish to tap into this source but at a limited
level
Dissonance on the issue of charging
Tourists raising the profile of the attraction in a
semi-derelict area
Interest in daisy chain tourism
Supply Side Constraints

Lack of funding

Difficulty with promotional funding
requests

Fear of theft, vandalism,harassment and
drug activity
Opportunities for Creativity and
Collaboration

Positive desire to collaborate but without the
knowledge of how to do so
Visitor Attitude Comments

“Back home you would pay money to see this”

“Why is there nobody there to tell us about this?”

“Is this it?”

“Some of them are closed and look kinda wrecked
anyway”

“Very poor signposting”
Future Directions

Further research needs to be carried out with
supply side stakeholders

Interviews with the Guinness Storehouse on
possible collaboration issues

More rigorous demand side perspective
Future Directions
Contact Details
Thanks for listening
[email protected]