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Barry Pickthall, the former yachting correspondent to The Times and Sunday Times newspapers, has been elected Chairman of the Yachting Journalist's Association which represents the interests of some 250 specialist media from as far afield as Ireland, Australia, Caribbean, China, Europe, Gulf States, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, and USA.

Barry takes over during challenging times for marine media with both the number of traditional magazine titles and circulation figures dipping, pay rates stagnating and the demand for copyright free pictures and footage on the increase.

It is not all bad news. Web sites and digital advertising are flourishing and demand for good video footage on the increase. TV viewing is also changing fast with viewers becoming much more selective over what they watch, using catch-up services rather than video recorders to view programmes they miss.

"The sport, and the way we present and watch it, is changing so fast that unless we adapt, we run the risk of being side-lined altogether." Says Barry Pickthall. "Journalists not only need to be masters of the pen, but produce good image and video content to promote what they have written, and for photographers and video cameramen, the role is reversed."

YJA members are being invited to provide valuable work experience for graduates, and the Association will be promoting their work in a competition to encourage budding media stars to get themselves in print.

In another major initiative, the YJA is also planning to introduce a new competition to promote the work of existing members to a world-wide audience.

The YJA has also refined its membership rules to allow Advertising and PR executives within the marine industry to join as associate members in order to widen the sphere and influence of the Association.

Membership of the Yachting Journalists' Association costs £40 per year and includes an Internationally recognised Press Card, a listing on the YJA website highlighting your specialist skills and contact details, and many other benefits.

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#derekdavis – Marine minister Simon Coveney TD has led tributes to marine journalist Derek Davis (67) who died today. The former broadcaster and RTÉ TV presenter and former Afloat fishing correspondent was born in Co Down and began his media career as a news journalist, working with the American network ABC and BBC Northern Ireland before moving to the newsroom in RTÉ.

'Derek was a big personality, a passionate and talented communicator on both food and marine issues. His love for the sea was so evident whenever I met him. Derek was a much loved figure in so many Irish homes for the connections he created over a lifetime of broadcasting', Mr. Coveney said. 'He will be missed by so many. I'd like to offer my condolences to his family and many friends.' he added.

 

 

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Marine Leisure & Aquatic Tourism

Domestic coastal tourism expenditure was approximately €698 million in 2018, while domestic marine tourism generated €381 million.

Activities such as walking/ running along the coast, swimming and beach visitations are among the most popular activities for domestic visitors on both day and overnight trips.

While participation rates in pursuits such as bird and wildlife watching in coastal areas and visiting nature reserves, etc. in coastal areas were lower, these activities did see the highest frequency of both day and overnight trips for those active in these activities. 

According to the National University of Galway (NUIG) research the average expenditure per coastal day trip in 2018 was calculated at €95. The equivalent for coastal overnight trips was €310. The estimated water-based activity expenditure per person per trip across the sample was €56 rising to €73 for the subsample that actually undertake waterbased activities on their coastal visits. The results also indicate that domestic tourists undertake the majority of their marine activities on the West and South coasts of Ireland and that there are notable differences in participation rates across age groupings, social classes and by family makeup.

A domestic tourist is defined in this report as a person who spends at least one night away from home on their trip. Total expenditure by domestic tourists in coastal areas was estimated to be €698 million in 2018, which represents 35% of the total expenditure by domestic tourists (using the broader Fáilte Ireland measure for domestic tourists that includes business trips equating to 10.92 million in total trips and €2,006 million in total revenue).

The marine-related activity expenditure, or what might truly be referred to as domestic marine tourism, is estimated to generate revenue of €381 million with €172 million being spent on water-based activities. Marine tourism makes up an estimated 19% of total domestic tourism expenditure.

Marine Leisure Tourism - FAQ

Coastal tourism refers to land-based and water-based tourism activities taking place on the coast for which the proximity to the sea is a condition including also their respective services. Coastal and Marine Tourism & Leisure are seen as one of the Blue Economy (BE) sectors that can help unlock the potential of multi-use of space at sea by engaging with Blue Growth (BG) sectors such as Aquaculture and Marine Renewable Energy among others.

Sports: sailing, surfing, diving and fishing Heritage: Unesco coastal villages, archaeological sites of interest, biospheres and historical points of interest Arts: coastal museums, art galleries, museums, wrecks Education: Eco-tourism, field courses, NGOs. Food: Seafood restaurants, Seafood festivals

NUI Galway carried out a survey of domestic residents in Ireland in 2019 as part of a survey entitled "Valuing and understanding the dynamics of Ireland's Ocean Economy". The purpose of the household survey was to profile the domestic market for single-day trips (leisure) and overnight trips (tourism) for coastal and marine-related activities in Ireland. The results of the survey are also used to estimate what proportion of an Irish resident's total domestic tourism expenditure is in coastal areas (coastal tourism) and what proportion is spent on undertaking marine-related activities (marine tourism).

The NUI results highlight the important contribution that Ireland's marine and coastal resources make to the leisure experiences of the general population and the importance of the domestic tourism market to local coastal economies. The analysis indicates that domestic coastal tourism expenditure was approximately €698 million in 2018, while domestic marine tourism generated €381 million. Activities such as walking/ running along the coast, swimming and beach visitations are among the most popular activities for domestic visitors on both day and overnight trips. While participation rates in pursuits such as bird and wildlife watching in coastal areas and visiting nature reserves, etc. in coastal areas were lower, these activities did see the highest frequency of both day and overnight trips for those active in these activities. Satisfaction with the available marine-related leisure facilities was also found to be very high across all activities.

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