Some 200 German travel professionals descended on Killarney this week to attend a major travel conference.
Details
DER Touristik, a leading German tour operator, hosted its annual Travel Academy in Killarney. The event was supported by Tourism Ireland, Fáilte Ireland, and Limerick Travel.
The Travel Academy took place over three days, from 3 to 6 April. It is always held in leading destinations, and Killarney beat off rival bids from a number of other top destinations to host the 2022 event.
Following a devastating two years for the tourism industry, the DER Touristik Travel Academy in Killarney is another important step in restarting tourism from Germany to Ireland. As well as generating valuable off-season business – giving the local economy a significant boost before the high season – the Travel Academy always helps boost German visitor numbers to the host destination in subsequent years, according to Tourism Ireland.
Statement By Tourism Ireland Chief Executive
Tourism Ireland chief executive Niall Gibbons stated, “We are delighted to welcome the 2022 DER Touristik Travel Academy to Killarney and Ireland this week. As we restart tourism from Germany, Tourism Ireland – together with Fáilte Ireland and Limerick Travel – is really pleased to have played its part in securing this prestigious event, which confirms Killarney and Ireland as a world-class destination. With around 200 German travel professionals and journalists in attendance, it’s a fantastic opportunity to showcase what’s on offer here. It will help increase German visitor numbers to the south-west and Ireland in 2022 and beyond. Our message is that Ireland is open for business again, and we cannot wait to welcome back our German visitors.”
Statement By DER Touristik’s Senior Vice-President Of Sales and Marketing
DER Touristik’s senior vice-president of sales and marketing, Kevin Keogh, stated, “We are delighted to hold our 2022 Travel Academy in Ireland and [are] very thankful to Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland, and all of our travel industry partners in Ireland for the great support. By staging our event now and inviting the top German travel agents to attend, we shall be able to reactivate past customers and generate new ones for all of Ireland.”
Additional Information
Approximately 200 top German travel agents, as well as influential travel journalists and senior managers from DER Touristik, participated in this week’s Travel Academy. As well as attending the event, delegates had the opportunity to participate in specially designed pre-conference tours across the island of Ireland, to enhance their knowledge of the tourism experiences and attractions on offer, and to allow them to sample the island of Ireland’s hospitality and welcome.
Germany is the island of Ireland’s third-largest source of visitors, and in 2019 the island of Ireland welcomed 749,000 German visitors, according to Tourism Ireland.
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