THE CANADIAN PROFILE IN IRELAND AND NORTHERN IRELAND

It seems safe to say that references to Canada and things Canadian are more common on the island of Ireland than would be the case in many other places to
which Canadians might move to study, work or retire. The solid efforts of Canada’s diplomatic representatives, the activities of the various Irish-Canadian groups, and the contributions to the peace process by General De Chastelaine and Mr. Justice Corey are well regarded. And everyone seems to have a relative in Canada whom they expect ex-pats might know. The over-all impression among the Irish is that Canadians are ‘really nice’.

But despite those efforts and connections and the visits of numerous Canadian performers and award-winning authors, well-received Canadian films and documentaries, and more media coverage of Canadian sport, politics and economic affairs than one would expect in, say, Florida, a move to Ireland or Northern Ireland will also disclose that the general Irish perception of Canada is that it’s just like the bolder (and hence more interesting) ‘America’.

Many Canadians living in Ireland and Northern Ireland believe that the appreciation of Canada among the Irish could be significantly improved if the
Canadian tourist industry took the Irish market more seriously. Despite proclaiming its importance to the Canadian economy and its particular concerns about the effect of SARS on tourism, the Canadian tourist industry, from the airlines to hotels and even government tourist bodies, seems to have written off
the Irish market.

There is no real effort to develop an Irish appreciation that a euro goes much farther in Canada than in the US, for example; and only limited appreciation that Canadian cities are modern, diverse and safe. The Irish do appreciate that there is wonderful natural beauty in Canada, but the abundant, readily accessible natural beauty to be found in Ireland means that promoting Canada’s needs to be linked with other Canadian attractions.

Part of the problem would seem to be the Canadian tourist industry’s ignorance of the Irish market potential. It does not appear to be understood, for
example, that people in Ireland spend more money traveling outside the country than visitors to Ireland spend in it. The Irish love to travel and they spend when they do.

This scenario is a great disappointment to Canadian ex-pats living in Ireland.

They will be hoping that Spring 2005 news from the Canadian Tourism Commission is a sign that the Canadian tourism industry is waking up. The news
follows market research that found that Canada has lost much of its appeal as a tourist destination. In the words of the Commission's vice-president of marketing and sales "Canada has been advertised the same way for the last 65 years, and it has always been based on Mounties, mountains and moose ..." making Canada "a one-product kind of country", which "we're not."