The closure of Laois tourist office over weekends was likened by one tourist insider to a restaurant closing at lunchtime.
While this person working in the tourist industry didn’t want to go on the record on the situation, they did feel that Laois could be promoted much better.
The office at Lyster Square opens from Monday to Friday, but crucially stays closed at the weekend when tourists are more likely to visit.
The lack of signage at the tourist office has also come in for criticism at council meetings in the past with tales of tourists being unable to find the office.
The office was closed over the Easter Weekend, again this May Bank Holiday weekend and the same will be the case throughout the long summer Bank Holiday weekends in June and August.
Laois County Council has been providing the service since 2011, when Fáilte Ireland closed down a number of tourist offices throughout the country including the office in Portlaoise.
“To continue to provide a service to the citizens of Laois and visitors to the county, Laois County Council leased the Tourist Office from Fáilte Ireland and with the assistance of the Portlaoise Community Employment Scheme the offices were kept open,” Laois Tourism officer Dominic Reddin said.
The offices are open from Monday – Friday from 9.00 a.m. to 5.30. Two members of staff run the office provided through the Portlaoise Community Employment Scheme.
“The scheme only permits those working to work Monday – Friday,” he said.
“The running cost of the office is provided by Laois County Council. There are currently no plans to open the office at weekends,” he said.
Trudy Carmody, who has been running travel company Experiencing Laois since January, believes that while the tourist office is welcome, it could be done much better.
She was willing to go on the record on the situation. “They are supposed to be representing everybody and selling this county, but they are not because they are closed at the weekends,” she said.
“It could be better. It’s not good enough to be just Ok,” she said.
She said the situation in which the tourist office is not allowed to sell anything is also not a good one.
She felt that if the office was allowed sell roadmaps and souvenirs of Laois etc any profits could be used to employ a manager and provide employees for the weekend.
Ms Carmody says her Experiencing Laois business has “been going absolutely brilliantly. The traction has been unreal”.
Her business is organising a ‘something to do in Laois’ event every three weeks as well as putting together packages for tourists visiting Laois.
You can find them on Facebook with a new website also under construction.
