B&Bs seek greater UK tourism marketing effort

Up to 30 years ago the rivers and lakes of Co. Cavan were a mecca for anglers from Britain who were familiar figures in their waterproof clothing on the banks of the Erne, the Annalee, Lough Oughter and the host of other waterways which predominate in this county. Now changes in lifestyle and competition from other markets such as Holland, Sweden and Denmark, have seen the number of anglers decline. Despite this, the dedicated bed and breakfast owners, self catering businesses and hotels in County Cavan have been retaining a loyal core of cross channel fishermen who have been coming here for decades and value the whole fishing experience in Cavan particularly the hospitality. The reduction in the number of English anglers coming here is offset to some extent by an increase in French anglers and they are providing a valuable source of income for B&Bs who have faithfully stayed in business and are an important part of the tourism infrastructure of County Cavan. Retaining this core of our tourism provision is at the forefront of thinking in Fáilte Ireland and County Cavan Tourism. Inland Fisheries Ireland are also heavily involved through their remit as the body responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of our waterways. Water quality has improved dramatically over the past 20 years due to protection enforcement by Inland Fisheries Ireland but also due to increased public awareness of the dangers that water pollution can cause to health and to the general environment. Speaking with people in the B&B and guesthouse business in Co. Cavan, one gets the impression that it is a time of uncertainty for them. The economic recession is hitting and as a consequence there is a reduction in the number of people going on holiday and anglers also fall into that bracket. Catherine Smith of Fortview House, Drumbran, Cloverhill, acknowledges that April and May were good for her with French anglers coming to fish for pike. However, there has been a fall back in English anglers, who usually come in June and July, reflecting a trend that has been developing in recent years. Bookings pick up again for her in August, she revealed. According to Catherine the fishing is currently good in local rivers and lakes, a welcome improvement from the situation back a few years ago when the zebra muscle did a lot of damage to fish stocks. However, she believes that more must be done by the tourism authorities to promote angling in Co. Cavan in order to get the fishermen back here in greater numbers. She recalls that in former times the English travel agents used to take B&B owners like herself over to Britain to promote their establishments at angling club events. Now the number of travel agents has declined quite dramatically due to online booking and B&B owners don't have the resources to engage in this promotional work themselves. "We need the tourist board to promote it. They are trying now but they need to do a lot more," says Catherine. She suggests that angling promotion packages such as free holidays should be run as part of a drive by the authorities to get anglers to come back here. Cost prohibitive - Belturbet guesthouse All of the B&B owners agree that angling is quite an expensive holiday when one considers the cost of the ferry, the cost of bait etc. According to another Belturbet guesthouse owner it costs two English anglers travelling in their car on the fast ferry the sum of €390 before they start their fishing holiday and this is a sore point for many of them. A further factor in the decline of UK anglers coming to the Cavan region, she says, is the creation in many parts of England of man-made fishing lakes. These artificial lakes are stocked with carp and are very popular with younger anglers who can land up to 200lb of fish in a day. While she accepts that this type of fishing is not the same as fishing in a natural environment she feels that there is now need for the Irish tourism authorities to provide a series of stocked lakes in strategic locations so that when natural fishing is poor that anglers can turn their hand to fishing in the stocked lakes. All of the B&B owners spoken with stress the importance of good access to rivers and lakes. With many anglers being middle aged or older, it is seen as important that accessibility is given to priority. The incidence of poaching has also meant that many points of access to rivers and lakes are locked by landowners who themselves are annoyed by this activity. The illegal dumping of litter along access routes to rivers and lakes is also off putting to anglers and is not encouraging them to come here, it was stated. Fáilte Ireland must do more - Killeshandra B&B owner Geraldine O'Reilly of Eonish Lodge, Killeshandra, is another experienced B&B owner who caters for UK anglers but not to the level that pertained in former years. She too refers to the development of the carp lakes in England as a factor causing the decline in British anglers coming here. She believes that Fáilte Ireland must do more to persuade English anglers to return and spoke appreciatively of the work being done by Killeshandra Tourism Association to promote Killeshandra as an angling centre of excellence through its website and other publications. Carmel Cassidy of Cassidy Cottages has also been keeping anglers for many years. She remarked that business was better last year than it is this year so far. However, June is quite busy and she is well booked for July. She is quite reasonable in her prices and believes that this philosophy should apply to all involved in angling tourism and to the range of services, including transport, that an angler has to use while he is here. Access to bait and equipment at the weekend was also important, she said, as all these elements factored into the success of the angler's stay here and would inform his decision to return. She was definite that the stocking of rivers and lakes must be given priority and remarked that Culliaghan lake, the lake closest to her and to which most anglers gravitate when staying at her B&B, is in need of restocking. Cootehill fishing festival Una Smith who has been actively engaged in the B&B and tourism fields in Cootehill for many years informs us that Cootehill fishing festival will be held for the 32nd year running this September. It draws many anglers to Cootehill and creates a general buzz of activity in the town. Fishing competitions are also a regular activity on Lough Gowna which is one of the country's premier angling lakes and an important draw for anglers.