HOTELS in Ennis have joined forces in creating an ‘extra’-ordinary incentive to attract tourists. The Old Ground hotel, Temple Gate Hotel, Hotel Woodstock, Treacy’s West County, The Queens Hotel and Auburn Lodge as well as Rowan Tree Hostel have come together under the ‘Promote Ennis’ banner to  create an ‘Ennis Gives Extra’ promotion, to coincide with the launch of the government backed ‘Stay & Spend’ Scheme, the details of which were published last week.
‘Ennis Gives Extra’  will see the first 10 people to book for a two-night stay for two during the month of October across each of the participating hotels rewarded with a voucher to spend in Ennis on check-in. The voucher can be spent in selected restaurants, bar/restaurants and shops in Ennis town centre.  A number of shops have already signed up with more due to come on board.
A spokesperson for Promote Ennis outlined, “Ennis has it all – safe shopping, great food, and access to a wide choice of outdoor activities including walking, hillwalking, hiking, horse–riding, kayaking or just relaxing. We have great businesses in Ennis. We need to have greater belief and confidence in what we have to offer. We need to come together to get behind brand Ennis. We will be rolling out a new hashtag #EVERYBODYlovesENNIS and we urge the people of the town as well as the businesses in Ennis to get behind the campaign.
“Ennis, like so many towns close to the WAW benefited from a bounce from the staycation market from the end of July until the end of August. But that time period was short.  Towns like Ennis need to come together to collaborate, to encourage those looking to book weekend or indeed midweek breaks over the autumn to choose Ennis. It’s a no-brainer in so far as if we get visitors to choose Ennis as a destination, then not only will the hotels benefit, businesses throughout town will benefit too.”
A new Recovery Plan for Ennis is due for launch in the coming weeks, driven by a core of businesses in hospitality and retail, with the aim to raise awareness and to encourage people to visit and to spend in Ennis.
“Whether they travel here from Doolin, Donegal or Dublin, we want them to experience what Ennis has to offer.   A lot of work has gone on in the background over recent months in getting this campaign off the ground and we look forward to pressing ‘go’ over the coming weeks.” Businesses who would like to get involved in the campaign can email info@visitennis.com for more information.