You can get a pretty accurate idea of what County Kerry’s shoulder season looks like by standing on the waterfront in Tralee on a Wednesday in October. The bay is particularly lovely in a gray light that most visitors perceive as chilly but photographers describe as dramatic. In July, the parking lots that are full are only halfway full. The seasonal employees have left, the B&Bs are operating at a fraction of their summer rates, and the cafés are open but quieter. Kerry is a truly remarkable destination. It just so happens to be at its most remarkable during a window that lasts around twelve weeks in a typical year.
The main issue facing tourism in western Ireland is the window problem, which is not exclusive to County Kerry. However, Kerry stands out for its direct attempt to use built infrastructure to address the problem. For many years, Tralee’s Aqua Dome, an indoor water park that runs no matter what the Atlantic is doing outside, has served as the county’s top all-weather family attraction. The Aqua Dome offers families with kids an excuse to stay rather than go on a soggy Tuesday in April when everything outside in Kerry is truly inaccessible. That may seem like a small contribution. In actuality, it is very important for the local lodging and hospitality establishments.
The second stage of such concept is represented by the Fenit Water Sports Facility. Situated on a peninsula that juts into Tralee Bay, Fenit is a small coastal village a few kilometers west of Tralee. The watersports facility there is tailored to the unique characteristics of that coastline; it is sufficiently exposed for more experienced water activities and sufficiently sheltered for novices. Its viability is extended into months when outdoor-only facilities would be idle thanks to the indoor components. How much it truly shifts the economic needle will depend on whether it attracts tourists who would not have otherwise traveled to Kerry or mostly benefits current tourists by offering them an activity option during their stay.
The framework for these local investments is provided by the Fáilte Ireland Atlantic Tourism Strategy. The development of year-round coastal products has been designated as a strategic priority by the national tourism authority. This is due in part to the fact that the international tourism market is increasingly expecting destinations to operate throughout the year, and in part to the fact that the economic volatility of a business model based on twelve good weeks is truly challenging for communities that rely on it.
The Ring of Kerry, Killarney’s lakes, the Dingle Peninsula, and the Skellig Islands are not seasonal attractions in the traditional sense, so Kerry has more to build on than most. The willingness of tourists to put up with the weather necessary to get there has been seasonal.
The water park approach seems to succeed because it eliminates the weather as a deterrent rather than because it competes with Kerry’s landscape, which it certainly doesn’t. If there is anything meaningful to do on a rainy Tuesday, a family that has driven to Tralee for a week doesn’t leave the county because it rains. The Fenit facility and the Aqua Dome are not the main draws. In order for Kerry’s real selling points to function, they are the infrastructure that keeps people in place.
