Tourist SOS marked an eventful year at a special celebration in the Guinness Storehouse with Garda Commissioner Drew Harris and CEO of Failte Ireland, Paul Kelly among those paying tribute to the service. In the year of their 30th anniversary, during which they rebranded from Irish Tourist Assistance Service to the more memorable name of Tourist SOS, they recorded a massive 77% increase in the number of visitors they assisted. As there has been no significant change in the underlying tourist crime statistics, the growth is driven by a greater proportion of tourists who experienced a problem being referred to the service.
Tourist SOS helps international visitors when issues arise, such as lost passports, accidents or crime. This service is unique to Ireland with no other European country offering this type of nationwide support to visitors.
“We’re delighted that we are reaching more people than ever before when they need assistance”, said Lisa Kennedy, Tourist SOS CEO. “Thanks to the referrals from the Gardaí, embassies and tourism and hospitality staff, more and more tourists who encounter problems find their way to our service with the vast majority of people we help (87%) continuing their holiday as before.”
Speaking at the event, Drew Harris, Commissioner of the Garda Síochána said “Over its 30 year history, we have maintained a partnership approach in supporting visitors who have unfortunately become a victim of a crime, or have been involved in a tragic event while holidaying here. While the service will not be required by the vast majority of tourists visiting the country, for those that need support, Tourist SOS is a key resource. Incidents of crime can be especially upsetting and stressful for visitors. The support that Tourist SOS can provide to a visitor, particularly in the area of language support, guidance around the replacement of documents and assistance in re-organising travel arrangements, is invaluable. I’m delighted to see it go from strength to strength as they celebrate 30 years in operation”.
Also at the event, Paul Kelly, CEO of Fáilte Ireland noted: “Fáilte Ireland is proud to support Tourist SOS and the valuable service it offers to help visitors get their trip back on track as soon as possible when issues arise. It’s fantastic to see awareness of the service building among frontline staff in the tourism and hospitality sector as these are often the first people who encounter visitors who need this type of support. I encourage everyone across the tourism industry to spread the word among their staff and colleagues that Tourist SOS website provides the information and advice you need when supporting visitors if things go wrong”.
Lisa Kennedy noted the important role played by embassy staff, who have also seen nearly a doubling in their referrals to Tourist SOS in the year to date. “Between Gardai, embassies and the tourist industry we are reaching the equivalent of 23% of tourists who report a crime, which is our highest ever referral rate, but of course, there is the opportunity to reach many more that don’t hear about our service. So our big priority in 2025 and beyond will be to build on this success, keeping Tourist SOS top of mind among those who encounter tourists in difficulty, and make sure ever greater numbers of tourists who need our service have the opportunity to use it.”