Technology has had a profound impact on the Irish tourism sector. The internet has enabled tourism companies to establish a global presence and provides consumers with a rich source of information and a convenient platform through which to research and book holiday-related activities. This likely explains why three in 10 Irish consumers used an online travel agent or comparison website to book their last holiday or short break, making this the channel of choice for Irish consumers when booking a trip.

This report examines the role that technology plays in the Irish tourism industry by looking at the sources that Irish consumers used to research ideas before booking their last holiday or short break, how they booked their last holiday or short trip, the devices they used to do so and their attitudes towards technology in Irish tourism.

• What sources are Irish consumers using to research ideas for holidays or short breaks? – Are Irish consumers using offline sources to research potential ideas for holidays or are they using mainly online sources? What type of sources are they using to research ideas? Are travel company and deal-of-the-day websites popular, or do consumers prefer to visit a high street shop in person?

• How did Irish consumers book their last holiday or short break? – Did Irish consumers use online travel agents or comparison sites to book their last holiday or short break or did they visit a travel agent in person to do this? What devices did Irish consumers use to book their last holiday or short break?

• What opportunities does the high level of smartphone and tablet ownership hold for the Irish tourism sector? – Can the GPS capability of smartphones encourage Irish consumers to explore the destinations that they visit to a greater extent than they perhaps normally would? Would accessing customer reviews on the go encourage consumers to visit more restaurants or attractions?

• How can Irish tourism companies use social networks and apps to promote their services? – Do Irish consumers engage with tourism companies on social networking sites? What impact does consumers uploading photos and comments while visiting tourism sites, hotels and attractions have? Are consumers interested in attractions that offer augmented reality apps?

• Are there opportunities for a ‘tech-free’ tourism experience? – Do Irish consumers feel that the use of technology while on holiday or a short break detracts from the experience? Are Irish consumers interested in technology-free tourist sites?

Other Mintel reports of relevance include:

• Social Networking – Ireland, May 2014

• Online and Mobile Retailing – Ireland, March 2014

• Culture and Heritage Tourism – Ireland, January 2014

• Short Breaks – Ireland, October 2013

• Short/City Breaks – UK, September 2013

• Domestic Tourism – UK, September 2013

• Outdoor Adventure Tourism – Ireland, May 2013

This report will examine the role of technology within the Irish tourism sector. Technology is defined as the use of internet-enabled mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablet computers, apps, comparison websites, the internet and Wi-Fi in Ireland to research, plan and book a holiday, short break, accommodation and tourism-related activities.

The use of social networks will also be examined, looking at how Irish consumers are using these platforms to engage with tourism companies and enhance their holiday or short break. Tourism companies’ use of social networking sites to promote their services will also be considered.

As determining a market size is not feasible for the use of technology in the Irish tourism sector, this report will instead look at case studies of Irish companies that use technology in the delivery of their services. The case study companies include Delta Airlines, Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail), NITB, Tourism Ireland and Virgin Atlantic. These companies have been included due to their unique use of a wide range of technology to promote their value proposition and enhance their customers’ brand experience.

For the purpose of this report, Mintel commissioned exclusive online research into the role that technology plays in the Irish tourism industry, looking at the resources Irish consumers use to research ideas before booking their holiday or short break, how they booked their last holiday or short trip and their attitudes towards technology in Irish tourism. The research was carried out by Toluna on behalf of Mintel in April 2014.

A total of 750 internet users aged 16+ in NI and 1,250 internet users aged 16+ in RoI were asked the following questions:

“Thinking about online information sources only, which, if any, of the following did you use to research ideas (eg potential hotels, excursions, attractions) before booking your trip?”

“Thinking about how your last holiday or short break was actually booked, which of the following did you use to book any elements of your trip (flights, accommodation etc)?”

“Thinking about the role of technology within the holiday or short break, which, if any, of the following do you agree with?”

The results from this survey are discussed in The Consumer sections of this report.

Mintel also draws consumer insight from other sources:

• Mintel’s Trends database and previous Mintel reports from the UK and Ireland.

In compiling this report, Mintel has gathered data from separate NI and RoI sources (eg NISRA – Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency and CSO – Central Statistics Office). In some cases, therefore, it has not been possible to provide comparable data for each region.

For the purpose of this report:

• IoI refers to the island of Ireland.

• NI refers to Northern Ireland.

• RoI refers to the Republic of Ireland.

Therefore, ‘Irish consumers’ refers to both NI and RoI consumers.