Caroline Bocquel, CEO Fáilte Ireland says she is shaping the future of Irish tourism in their corporate strategy 2026 – 2029.
But will the reshaping of the tourism sector resemble the Irish fishing industry, now on its knees, when Caroline Bocquel CEO Fáilte Ireland, has finished with it?
https://www.failteireland.ie/en/about/corporate-strategy
From Fáilte Ireland’ Website
“to ensure Ireland excels across every aspect of the visitor experience from the authenticity of the offering to the warmth of our welcome”
“Ireland’s tourism sector is entering a new phase of growth, one that’s more balanced, resilient, and built to last. We will help businesses through strategic investment, demand generation, destination development and better supports.
Our corporate strategy focuses on delivering the ambitions of the Government’s national tourism policy. We look forward to implementing it together.”
Caroline Bocquel, CEO Fáilte Ireland
Ms Bocquel was Chief Executive of BIM. Bord Iascaigh Mhara. Following the EU–UK agreement, Ireland ultimately faced an estimated 15% reduction in its overall fishing quota, with the Government putting the eventual annual economic loss at approximately €43 million by 2026.
Transform it into what?
So when Fáilte Ireland now says it wants to transform Irish tourism, the first question that needs to be answered:
Why does an industry that was already enormously successful need to be transformed?
Ireland itself was always the attraction.
Our music, our pubs, our villages, our landscape, our history, our language, our storytelling, our festivals, our people and the character of our towns and cities created something that millions of visitors wanted to experience.
Over the years, I have noticed that Fáilte Ireland rarely, if ever, highlights Irish music in its advertising, as though it is merely something that can be mentioned in passing from time to time. As an Irish musician, I know firsthand the genuine value and importance of our music to tourism in Ireland. Irish music is a fundamental part of our cultural identity and a powerful attraction for visitors from around the world.
At times, it also seems that our music is being used to promote ideologies or narratives that have little to do with Ireland’s own cultural heritage. This is usually the remit of “Discover Ireland” if I’m not mistaken.
Failte Ireland – The State Aid Handbook
https://cdn.failteireland.ie/failteireland/F%C3%A1ilte-Ireland-State-Aid-Handbook.pdf
What is this? EU Compliance.
Fáilte Ireland says explicitly that, as a statutory agency distributing public funds, it must comply with EU State aid rules. The handbook explains the rules governing when and how State resources can be provided to businesses and other economic undertakings. From 2026, Fáilte Ireland also says that de minims (too small to matter) supports must be recorded under the new EU-wide register, including details such as the beneficiary, amount awarded, date, type of aid and objective.
Chapter 1 –
An Introduction to the State aid Rules
“State aid law is a series of EU rules that regulate when, how and to what extent a Member State of the European Union may provide assistance to undertakings. In this context, the term ‘undertaking’ refers to any entity (no
matter what its legal form) that is
engaged in economic activity”.
Can Fáilte Ireland refuse funding because it decides that a particular form of tourism isn’t sufficiently “authentic Irish tourism”?
- Who legally controls Fáilte Ireland’s money?
2. What power does the European Commission actually have over an Irish State Aid scheme?
3. What happens to Irish/EU funding if Ireland or Fáilte Ireland breaches State Aid rules?
When “authenticity” is identified as an objective of the visitor experience, how is authenticity defined, evaluated, and measured by Fáilte Ireland when determining the allocation of public funding?
Who is Fáilte Ireland ultimately accountable to?
It seems like yet another incomplete EU effort to assert greater control over member states, while leaving the underlying framework ambiguous, unfinished, and open to extensive legal interpretation.
Which leads to this Question for: Caroline Bocquel, Fáilte Ireland and Alice Mansergh, Discover Ireland.
Can Fáilte Ireland clearly and convincingly explain to the Irish public what it actually means by “authenticity,” “communities,” “sustainability,” and “transforming the tourism sector” and, more importantly, demonstrate how these broad ambitions will translate into tangible outcomes for local communities, tourism businesses, and visitors?
Ireland did not suddenly discover tourism in 2026.
For decades, Ireland built an extraordinarily successful tourism industry around something that could not be manufactured in a boardroom or created by an advertising agency.
And it worked.
This is another question I am putting directly to Caroline Bocquel and the Fáilte Ireland Authority. And it is particularly relevant because of Ms Bocquel’s previous role as Chief Executive of Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM).
Why was Caroline Bocquel chosen, given what some would regard as her disappointing final performance at BIM?
BIM subsequently operated the voluntary decommissioning scheme. 42 vessels accepted decommissioning offers, representing more than 6,700 gross tonnes of fishing capacity, at a cost of approximately €63 million. Ms Bocquel defended the programme as necessary rebalancing of the fleet.
That is the record. But here is the question:
Was the reduction of Ireland’s indigenous fishing capacity regarded as part of the success of that restructuring?
And when Fáilte Ireland decided to appoint Ms Bocquel to lead another major Irish national economic sector, did the Authority examine that question.
What exactly is going to be restructured next?
Patrick Buckley spoke in Moate at the cost-of-living meeting about the significant difficulties facing the fishing industry. He highlighted how rising costs are preventing fishing boats from leaving port, while the continued reduction in the fleet has brought the number of fishing boats nationwide down to just 120, devastating for Ireland.
Fáilte Ireland’s Corporate Strategy
https://www.failteireland.ie/en/about/corporate-strategy
It’s vision is a tourism sector “loved by visitors, welcomed by communities.”
Says its purpose is to “create a competitive and resilient tourism sector that delivers memorable visitor experiences, enriches communities and sustains Ireland’s economy”.
Well, we native Irish people have certainly had more than enough of this so-called “enrichment” over the past five years.
I was in an Irish city last Saturday, (which I won’t name), although at this stage it could be almost anywhere in Ireland, and I was genuinely stunned by how much the city centre has changed.
Street after street, starting just outside the bus station, seemed to consist almost entirely of Turkish barbers, takeaways, nail bars and phone shops, often occupying both sides of the road. Apparently, this is what progress looks like now.
Truly, what an authentic Irish experience.
And then there’s the great irony: imagine travelling to Ireland as a visitor, walking into an “Irish” hotel or restaurant, and discovering that there isn’t a single Irish person there to welcome, cook for, or serve you.
You cannot manufacture authenticity after you have destroyed it.
Caroline Bocquel – Fáilte Ireland: responsible for developing Irish tourism.
Alice Mansergh – Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland, with leadership responsibility for marketing the island of Ireland to overseas visitors.
So why was Caroline Bocquel chosen?
Was Caroline Bocquel appointed because she was considered the person best qualified to protect and strengthen Ireland’s indigenous tourism industry?
What exactly is being changed?
And the question Caroline Bocquel, the Fáilte Ireland Authority and Alice Mansergh should answer is a very simple one:
Are you protecting and promoting the Ireland that tourists come here to experience?
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Cork Airport Article
State Aid Handbook
https://cdn.failteireland.ie/failteireland/F%C3%A1ilte-Ireland-State-Aid-Handbook.pdf
Fáilte Ireland’s new Corporate Strategy 2026–2029
