This article is from page 7 of the 2006-03-14 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 7 JPG
A REVELATION that Clare recorded one of the highest rates of crime against tourists in Ireland last year could have huge consequences for tourism in the county.
That’s according to Councillor Flan Garvey (FF), a prominent Clare tourism campaigner, who was speaking in the wake of the Irish Tourist Assistance Service (ITAS) report.
It stated that behind Dublin, Galway, Wicklow and Kerry, Clare fared the worst when it came to crime against tourists. Two tourists visiting Clare made reports that they were pickpocketed, while three complained that their cars were broken into last year. Cllr Garvey said this was not a good reflection of Clare.
“It is one thing we could like to be low in. . . The vast majority of people in Clare are very welcoming. It is worrying as it is hard enough to attract people. This type of publicity is the worst kind of publicity we can get. We have always had a great image in Clare,” he added.
He said some of the culprits were locals, while others were non-nationals. “However, as far as tourists are concerned, it is all the same. They won’t come back if they are mugged. It is a horrible experience,” he said.