11 travel agents from the US are visiting Ireland this week as guests of Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland.
The visiting agents are members of Virtuoso, an international network of luxury travel agencies.
The aim of their visit is to showcase some of the things to see and do in Ireland for high end American travellers and to enthuse the travel agents about selling Ireland. Their itinerary includes trips to Dromoland Castle, the Foynes Flying Boat & Maritime Museum, Adare Manor, the Jameson Distillery Midleton, House of Waterford Crystal, Dunbrody Famine Ship, Hook Lighthouse and Glendalough.
"Delighted"
Tourism Ireland's head of North America, Alison Metcalfe, commented, "We're delighted these travel agents took time out of their busy schedules to come and experience our luxury tourism offering and see for themselves what Ireland has to offer their clients. This is a first-time visit for all of the travel agents, so our aim is that when they return home, they will be really knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the destination, helping to secure a greater share of their business for Ireland.
"Tourism Ireland has prioritised North America as a market which offers a strong return on investment, in terms of holiday visitors and expenditure. The most recent CSO figures, for January-August, indicate growth of 5% in arrivals from North America over the same eight-month period last year. Tourism Ireland is undertaking an extensive programme of targeted promotional activity to continue to grow North American visitor numbers and, in particular, to encourage more holidaymakers to explore our regions and less-visited attractions during the shoulder and off-season months."
© 2019 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Dave Simpson. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
