€100 staycation vouchers to encourage Kerry people to holiday locally
A new initiative is encouraging Kerry people to holiday locally in an effort to save the county's €400m tourist industry.
But, it is bad news for Corkonians or Dubliners as a new staycation voucher scheme is aimed squarely at Kerry people.
Vouchers worth €100 are being sent to some 56,000 households in Kerry to encourage people to explore the far corners of Valentia or the cliffs of Ballybunion.
The vouchers are redeemable for overnight stays "within the county of Kerry only" and the small print states they are "not transferrable to persons who do not reside in the county".
The vouchers are the brainchild of the Kerry Tourism Industry Federation and aim to resurrect the old practice whereby people from south Kerry holidayed in Ballybunion and Ballyheigue, and those from Listowel and Tralee came to Killarney, Kenmare and Iveragh.
The tourist industry is worth €400m each year to Kerry. It has been badly hit by the Covid-19 shutdown and it is hoped the scheme will encourage people to rediscover the gems on the doorsteps.
"Now is the time to share our love for our county with our children, family and friends: to revisit a childhood haunt, to rediscover a favourite memory or to explore a corner of the county that you have never seen," Kerry Tourism Industry Federation Chairperson, Pat O’Leary said.
The tourism industry is a vital cog in the Kerry economy and staycations were an effective and sustainable way to support it during these challenging times.
Hotels, B&Bs, guesthouses, self-catering homes and caravan and camping sites all over the county have signed up to accept the vouchers which give a discount of up to 10% off the cost of accommodation.
The Kerry staycation vouchers are being distributed across Kerry this week by An Post. The full list of accommodation providers partaking in this initiative can be viewed on www.discoverkerry.com.
Meanwhile, the Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce is aiming further afield with a campaign centring on space.
The new "Space to..." campaign focuses on the outdoors and open space available to explore in Killarney.
An interactive new version of the Killarney.ie website has been launched where visitors can get full details on everything they need to know about their upcoming trip to Killarney.
