More than 60 influential players from the world of tourism and travel are gathering in Dublin today to attend a one day tourism summit organised by Tourism Ireland.
The summit brings together key industry representatives from around Ireland and the world to discuss and explore areas of opportunity and the key themes for future growth in overseas tourism to Ireland, in 2015 and beyond.
Overseas tourism is one of Ireland’s largest industries, accounting for almost 60 per cent of all tourism revenue and benefits communities right across the island. In 2013, overseas tourists contributed almost €4 billion to the economy, which is an increase of 12 per cent on 2012. Tourism Ireland aims to welcome 8.9 million visitors per year by 2016 representing a growth of 12 per cent on 2013.
CEO of Tourism Ireland, Niall Gibbons, said: “In 2013, we welcomed 8 million overseas visitors to the island of Ireland and saw record visitor numbers from markets like North America, Germany, France, Spain and Australia. We are determined to ensure the success continues." The summit includes presentations and panel discussions exploring ideas and listening closely to the views of key overseas tourism operators in relation to their own markets, the opportunities and challenges they see for travel and tourism to the island of Ireland in 2015 and beyond, and the best ways to harvest that potential. Gibbons continued: "We are delighted so many of our key partners are participating in our summit today, generously sharing their knowledge and expertise, so we can build on the growth we saw in 2013. I would like to say a heart-felt thanks to our partners: we truly appreciate their commitment and the invaluable job they do for tourism to the island of Ireland. We look forward to continuing to work closely with them, to achieve even greater success in the coming years.” Attendees at the summit were welcomed to Ireland by President Michael D Higgins and by Minister for Tourism Leo Varadkar. They include representatives of major tour operators from the United States, Britain, Germany and France as well as representatives of various Irish tourism associations, service providers and visitor attractions.
Pictured from left: Florence Gourdon, Brittany Ferries; Leo Varadkar, Minister for Tourism; and Niall Gibbons, CEO Tourism Ireland. Photo: Naoise Culhane
