A warm Irish welcome

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Aiveen Ryan.

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Carton House in Kildare.

Tailored luxury

Creating a tailored experience, which caters to the Arabic guest, is also a priority at Ireland's hotels, according to Tourism Ireland.

"We're positioned to meet the demand of the discerning traveller, which includes GCC guests looking for luxury," says Egan.

"A lot of our products are top end and we've attracted major brands such as Four Seasons, Renaissance, Marriott, Radisson, Sheraton and Westin. Then there are our older traditional brands, which also offer a high standard of accommodation and level of service."

One of the initiatives, which has been set up to guarantee a well-tailored experience to meet specific requirement of guests from this region, is a GCC country club.

Contemporary five-star hotel, the g, in Galway, is a member of the GCC country club.

"Members show a commitment to ensuring products containing alcohol or pork are labelled, prayer mats are available at the hotel and those are the details that really count when you're targeting this market," said the g sales executive Eilísh Wall.

Egan adds that members of the country club will receive priority when it comes to bringing in the travel trade; however there are currently only 12 current members.

Despite this, Egan observes that there is a diverse and large international workforce already in place in the country, with a number of Arabic speakers positioned among hotel staff and a growing Muslim community.

Something for a rainy day

While the GCC traveller has generally been labelled as a luxury seeker, Ryan points out that during the current financial crisis there has been a tendency for the regional market to opt for budget deals.

"We're seeing more quotes for three- and four-star hotels coming in from the Arab market," she says. "So we offer the full range, from five-star luxury, remote country castles, to self-catering apartments just outside Dublin, which are popular with large families."

Furthermore, Egan says that there's never been a better time to visit Ireland.

"The Euro exchange rate means that the Dirham will get travellers further for their money and there are some excellent offers to be snapped up on accommodation, dining and entertainment.

So it's not all doom and gloom she says.

"Travellers from the GCC even like the cooler weather and the rain in Ireland."

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