Tourism Ireland in Italy unveiled its marketing plans for 2018 at an event in Milan attended by around 50 top travel and lifestyle journalists, as well as leading Italian tour operators, travel agents and airlines.
Tourism Ireland’s extensive programme of activity for 2018 will highlight experiences like the Wild Atlantic Way, the Causeway Coastal Route, Ireland’s Ancient East, Belfast and Dublin. Screen tourism will also remain a priority, as the organisation continues to capitalise on Ireland's connections with Star Wars and Game of Thrones. Other themes for the year will include Galway European Region of Gastronomy, Strangford Lough and the Wild Atlantic Way Cycle Sportif.
Speaking in Milan, Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said, “In 2017, we welcomed a record 363,300 Italian visitors to Ireland, up +5.5% on 2016. We are now focused on the year ahead. Our aim is to build on this success and to continue to grow Italian visitor numbers. We will achieve this by working in close collaboration with our Irish and Italian tourism partners, rolling out an extensive programme of high impact campaigns and promotions which will target Italian travellers with the greatest potential to visit Ireland.”
It has never been easier to reach the island of Ireland from Italy, with over 20,000 weekly seats on direct flights to Dublin, Belfast, Knock and Cork. Tourism Ireland will roll out co-operative campaigns with airlines that fly to the island of Ireland over the coming months.
