Ireland is indeed a green country! At yesterday’s excursion, it was my first time seeing the green aspect of Ireland which includes involves agriculture and farming. I was amazed to see the role that agriculture plays in the economy and culture of the country, and that Ireland depends heavily on this industry as opposed to other large countries in the world who have the capacity to be more involved in agriculture and farming. My favorite part of our excursion was visiting a family owned sheep farm! I enjoyed hearing about how this is a family business that started three generations ago and will continue in future generations. I had a lot of fun watching the owner of the farm interacting with the dog and the sheep because I could see the dedication, time and love that he gives to his business and his family’s history. I highly recommend tourists to visit towns and the countryside of a country instead of staying in the big cities because seeing and being part of nature is an extremely valuable and unforgettable experience.
For our plus3 program, we came to Ireland as students and learners of how business works in the country and their impact and involvement in globalization. However, it is important to keep in mind that we are also tourists and imports to their tourism industry because globalization also means the movement of people and ideas from one place to another. Ireland has competitive advantages when attracting tourists to visit them instead of going to the UK, France, Germany and other bigger companies in Europe. Their first and most important advantage is culture. Irish people valuable their culture and traditions, and it’s a driving force for their professional and personal lives. Irish people love to teach foreigners about what it means to be Irish and as a tourist, I have been able to experience this incredible culture at the company site visits, attractions, museums, countryside and universities. This is what makes Ireland stand out from leading countries in the world. Second, natural attractions, the green environment and the countryside is a big advantage for Ireland. I have been to other countries, but Ireland is the first one to show me so many beautiful places with lots of green landscapes and farming animals everywhere in the countryside. If I were to come back to Ireland again, I would definitely spend most of my time exploring cities and towns outside of Dublin.
Of course, there are some challenges that Ireland has to deal with when importing tourists to its small island. First, it is an expensive country compared to other European countries, South America and Asian countries. The price for food is high and their currency, the euro, has a greater value than the dollar and other currencies in the world. Therefore, this is a disadvantage for tourists who have a tight budget. Second, it requires a visa to enter for a lot of nationalities, including mine, so it creates barriers to enter for people who get rejected in their visa application process. Third, I have seen some similarities with the US in terms of infrastructure and of course the language, so I would prefer to visit a place totally different from what I am used to, so Ireland needs to keep working in marketing their culture because that is what made me want to come here. They need to show other countries their assets and number one resource which is culture in order to keep bringing tourists and showing the world what it means to be Irish (plus incredible Irish sheep).
