ASIA BUSINESS WEEK DUBLIN!Dublin Beijing Business Summit!

4 June 2014!  

Dublin: A Great City to Do Business in!!

David Brennan, Chief Executive, !Dublin City Business Association!

Speech to Asia Matters Conference 4th-6th June 2014 –  Dublin A Great City To Do Business In  Lord Mayor, Ambassadors, TDs, Councillors, Distinguished Guests, Ladies & Gentlemen  Facts about Dublin City !The city covers a land area of 115 square kilometres. Population (2006) Greater Dublin Area: 1.66 million Area administered by Dublin City Council: 506,211 Major employers Information and communications technology, e.g. Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft, Amazon, eBay Banking and finance. Tourism Construction Government. I am an extremely lucky man. I have worked in Dublin City for the last 40 years.  Dublin is a beautiful, compact city, with a distinct character, a vibrant cultural and a diverse, smart, green, innovation based economy. Dublin is a capital steeped in history with evidence of habitation stretching back to historic times. Although the city has its origins as a Viking settlement, the layout and grain of the city centres as it exists today in principally the legacy of the 18th century. I have been a business man in this city where I was engaged in the retail trade and I have been involved with ongoing affairs within the city for many years. My current role is that of the Chief Executive of a not for profit business organisation, the Dublin City Business Association that has served Dublin for very nearly 40 years. Dublin is a great city to business in, it is small but yet dynamic. The OECD Better Life Index indicates that in education, environment, health, housing, safety and community we have world class ratings. Government buildings which are based in the city centre have open access to visitors. State employees work to assist and help business development. There are special information and training offices throughout the city. Our National Government, as you can see outside this building, are investing in the infrastructure in the city – this is a €368 million project for electric trams.One of our premier shopping streets, Grafton Street is being repaved at a cost of €4 by our Local Government. Over the past 20 years Dublin has undergone an intensive period of unprecedented, physical, social and economic change which will leave a lasting and enduring legacy. Dublin is now a richer, more diverse and more cosmopolitan city than in any time in its history. Dublin has emerged as a confident European Capital City with international recognition. $

$Dublin is open for business and is a wonderful centre for other countries to work through to both prototype and position their product into Europe.$ $For people coming here to do business, perhaps to be living in Dublin for a short number of years we have an environment here that uses the best high tech technology. $ $Dublin has an immense history and tourism is a vital part of the economy.$ $I would like to give you some key findings$According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), the global travel and tourism industry’s total contribution to Gross Domestic Product in 2013 grew by +3.0%, outperforming overall Gross Domestic Product growth for the third consecutive year. Travel and tourism Gross Domestic Product grew faster than other global sectors such as manufacturing, retail and financial in 2013. The outlook for the travel and tourism industry in 2014 is even more promising than 2013, with the sector’s contribution to Gross Domestic Product expected to grow by +4.3% this year.$ $Australia & Developing Markets: Travel operators, agencies and airlines in Australia are reporting that bookings for long haul travel have been strong. In India, the strengthening rupee is making outbound travel more attractive and affordable. Almost half of all travel agents in China predict an increase in Chinese trips to Europe this year.$ $Key Australian wholesale and airline partners have reported strong bookings for the island of Ireland. Enhanced connectivity should help visits continue to grow from Australia and Developing Markets – for example the increased capacity to Dublin from Etihad and Emirates and the new Air New Zealand / Aer Lingus 1-stop option via San Francisco. The visa waiver scheme continues to aide bookings from China and India, illustrated by three leading travel agents in China launching a new UK and Ireland package.$ $Importance and rating of destination issues among overseas holidaymakers (%)$Source: Fáilte Ireland’s Port Survey of Overseas Holidaymakers 2013$

$ $ $ $ $Important $ $Satisfied$ $Friendly, hospitable people$ $93 $ $ $97$Beautiful scenery $ $ $88 $ $ $96$Safe and secure destination $ $86 $ $ $94$Good range of natural attractions $86 $ $ $90$Natural unspoilt environment $ $85 $ $ $89$Interesting history and culture $82 $ $ $89$Attractive cities and towns $ $80 $ $ $87$Easy, relaxed pace of life $ $73 $ $ $89$ $ $ $ $ $ $

Freedom to Travel$ $World Travel and Tourism Council believes in the right of people to travel safely, securely and efficiently across international borders. We recognise that there are genuine concerns about sovereign border security that must remain the preserve of individual nation states, every country has the right to defend itself as it sees fit.$However, given its mission to maximize the sustainable growth potential of the industry, it is the role of World Travel and Tourism Council to call on governments to adopt smarter visa and border security policies to promote Travel & Tourism as a driver of jobs and economic growth. It is time for a fundamental change in the minds of governments - balancing security needs with freedom to travel by moving away from the current approach to a faster implementation of visa waiver and trusted traveller programmes.$ $As I mentioned earlier safety is of paramount importance to visitors. $ $Personal security is a core element for the well-being of individuals, and largely reflects the risks of people being physically assaulted or falling victim to other types of crime. Across the OECD, assault rates have generally declined in the past five years. In Ireland, 2.6% of people reported falling victim to assault over the previous 12 months, less than the OECD average of 3.9%. There is a 1 percentage point difference between men and women in assault rates, at respectively 2.1% and 3.1%.$The homicide rate (the number of murders per 100,000 inhabitants) is a more reliable measure of a country’s safety level because, unlike other crimes, murders are usually always reported to the police. According to the latest OECD data, Ireland’s homicide rate is 0.8, lower than the OECD average of 4.1. In Ireland, the homicide rate for men is 1.4 compared with 0.2 for women.$Of high importance to those investing in Dublin, is to know that Dublin has a very high standard of education available.$A well-educated and well-trained population is essential for a country’s social and economic well-being. Education plays a key role in providing individuals with the knowledge and skills that are needed to participate effectively in society and in the economy. Following a decline in manual labour over previous decades, employers now favour a more educated labour force. $The average student in Ireland scored 518 in reading literacy, maths and sciences, higher than the OECD average of 497. On average, girls outperformed boys by 4 points, less than the average OECD gap of 10 points.$The best-performing school systems manage to provide high-quality education to all students. In Ireland, the average difference in results, between the students with the highest socio-economic background and the students with the lowest socio-economic background, is 96 points, in line with the OECD average. This suggests the school system in Ireland provides relatively equal access to high-quality education.$ $I would like to invite you all to my city Dublin of which I am very proud. $Come to visit us. $Come to do business with us $Come to be friends with us. $Thank you$$