International firms enter foreign markets for a number of reasons, all of which are linked to the desire to either increase profits and sales or protect them from being eroded by competition. .
Hotel owners and managers are always under pressure to increase the profits of their hotels, and when they face a mature, saturated market at home, they begin to search for new markets outside their home country. They find that a rising GNP per capita and population growth appear to be creating markets that are reaching the critical mass necessary to become viable candidates for their hotels. Also the economies of some nations where they are not doing business are growing at a considerably faster rate than in the economy of their own market. .
There are many reasons why the Jury's Doyle group decided to expand internationally. The biggest reason for them was the increase in international tourism worldwide. .
A few facts:.
Region Number of international tourists Share of world total (%) Average annual change 1995-2000 (%).
1990 2000 1990 2000 .
Africa 15.0 27.6 3.6 4.0 6.6.
North America 71.7 92.0 14.6 13.2 2.7.
Total Americas 92.9 128.0 19.8 18.5 3.4.
Asia and Pacific 3.2 6.4 0.8 0.9 8.8.
Europe 282.7 403.3 58.8 57.7 4.7.
Middle East 9.0 20.6 2.2 2.9 10.7.
World 457.3 698.8 100 100 4.9.
International tourism trends, 1990-2000, by international travel to major regions. .
Region Number of hotels Change from 1990 to 1998 Share of world total (%) 1998.
1990 1998 000's (%) .
Africa 333 428 95 28.5 2.8.
North America 3652 4133 481 13.2 26.8.
Total Americas 4308 5164 856 19.9 33.5.
Asia and Pacific 2510 3658 1148 49.8 23.7.
Europe 4912 5935 1023 20.8 38.5.
Middle East 160 221 61 38.1 1.4.
World 12223 15406 3183 26.0 100.
As already mentioned, tourism was fast becoming recognised as one of Irelands leading exchange earners in the early '70's as demand for conferences began to grow. Pascal Vincent Doyle was involved in actively promoting Ireland as a tourist and conferences destination.