Approximately two million people in Barcelona are seeing ads for Ireland in bus shelters and at other outdoor locations around the city right now as part of Tourism Ireland latest campaign with Aer Lingus, to grow Spanish visitor numbers this year.
The campaign is being rolled out in Bardelona and Madrid this month to take advantage of late booking patterns among Spanish holidaymakers. Madrid and Barcelona are important markets for tourism from Spain, with around 35% of all Spanish visitors to Ireland coming from Madrid and around 28% from Barcelona.
As well as the outdoor ads, the campaign includes digital advertising on popular news, cultural and lifestyle sites, which will reach an estimated 5.4 million people living in both Madrid and Barcelona.
Spain is an important market for tourism to Ireland and travel by Spanish residents to Ireland has grown significantly over the past 17 years, going from just 90,000 Spanish visitors in 2000 to a record 443,200 in 2017. Tourism Ireland is determined to ensure that growth continues and is rolling out a busy programme of promotions right throughout 2018.
Barbara Wood, Tourism Ireland’s Manager in Spain, said, “2017 was the best year ever for Spanish visitor numbers to Ireland. We have an extensive programme of activity under way throughout 2018, to build on this success. Working closely with airlines and airports to build demand for flights is a key priority for Tourism Ireland, so campaigns with key partners like Aer Lingus are an important element of that programme.”
© 2018 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Dave Simpson. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
