Tourism Ireland in the US teamed up with Bord Bia this week to showcase Ireland's culinary experiences to food, travel and lifestyle influencers and journalists from across the US at a virtual event.
Tourism Ireland stated, "The event featured a number of our leading food producers, including Cashel Blue Cheese, The Little Milk Company based in Dungarvan, Bean and Goose Chocolate from Wexford and The Shed Distillery in Drumshanbo.
"The aim was to highlight our modern culinary experiences and to inspire the participating influencers and journalists to share the news about those experiences with their followers, readers, viewers and listeners - and to build anticipation among 'foodies' for future trips to Ireland."
Tourism Ireland's head of North America, Alison Metcalfe, stated, "Tourism Ireland was delighted to work with Bord Bia to showcase our modern and authentic culinary experiences. Our virtual event was a great way to highlight our exceptional food and drink offering, as well as to build anticipation for future trips to Ireland. The participation of these top influencers and journalists is a strong indication that there is lots of interest in Ireland and our superb culinary scene."
€3.5m Promotional Campaign
In other Tourism Ireland news, Tourism Ireland has launched a new €3.5 million promotional campaign to build anticipation for holidays in Ireland.
Tourism Ireland stated, "The recent announcement about the reopening of international travel to Ireland on 19 July is excellent news for everyone working in the tourism and hospitality sector here. Tourism Ireland has been actively planning for this restart and is now ready to roll out a significant promotional kick-start campaign to entice and welcome back overseas visitors.
"Phase one involves a major digital video campaign, which goes live from 7 June. Called 'Let's get back to Ireland', the online video will build anticipation for holidays in Ireland this summer. It will be promoted via online video platforms (including YouTube), on social media, mobile devices, as well as on Connected TV (television that can stream digital content), in nine different markets: Great Britain, the United States, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, the Nordic countries and Switzerland."
You can view the video below -
Minister for tourism, culture, arts, Gaeltacht, sport and media Catherine Martin TD stated, "I am delighted to officially launch Tourism Ireland's new €3.5 million campaign, 'Let's get back to Ireland', which goes live from today. There is now cause for great optimism within the tourism and hospitality sector, as the rollout of the vaccination programme gathers pace. July 19th marks the return of international travel, which is a further significant step along the road to recovery. Combined with [this week's] reopening of outdoor dining, alongside the already opened accommodation sector, there is a sense of relief and excitement for business owners, staff and their guests.
"Tourism Ireland has an impeccable track record in overseas marketing, and I look forward to continuing to engage with the agency in the weeks and months ahead, as momentum behind this new campaign builds even more. I join the sector in extending a warm welcome to tourists planning a visit to the island of Ireland and I’m excited visitors can once again experience our stunning landscapes, hospitality, friendly locals and abundance of history, heritage, culture and great outdoors in the near future."
Tourism Ireland chief executive Niall Gibbons stated, "We are delighted to unveil our new campaign, 'Let's get back to Ireland', which will help build anticipation for trips to Ireland this summer, among holidaymakers in our key overseas markets.
"We know from our research that there is significant pent-up demand among overseas visitors to return to Ireland as soon as possible. However, we also know that there will be significant competition, as every destination across the globe has experienced the impact of COVID and will be seeking their share of the recovery. As international travel begins to restart, the priority for Tourism Ireland will be to keep the island of Ireland front and centre in consumers' minds. Our kick-start campaign will need to punch through the noise and create an immediate desire to visit."
Tourism Ireland continued, "Before COVID-19, overseas tourism had recorded nine consecutive years of record growth. In fact, 2019 surpassed all previous records - when we welcomed 11.3 million overseas visitors to the island of Ireland, who spent €5.9 billion while here."
Gibbons added, "All of us at Tourism Ireland are ready to play our part in the recovery of our sector. Our message is that we can't wait to roll out the green carpet and welcome back our overseas visitors."
Tourism Ireland added, "Phase two of Tourism Ireland's kick-start activity will go live in July. This will be a separate campaign, which will deliver a very clear 'book now' message to prospective international visitors and will single-mindedly drive visitor numbers back to Ireland."
City Fair Virtual B2B Workshop
Additionally, 29 tourism enterprises from around Ireland joined Tourism Ireland virtually at an online B2B workshop called City Fair this week.
Tourism Ireland stated, "The one-day B2B workshop has been organised by the European Tourism Association (ETOA) and is set to be attended by over 170 travel buyers from around the world. It involves a series of pre-scheduled, one-to-one video appointments - connecting the companies from Ireland with the international travel buyers.
"The aim is to showcase Ireland to these key travel buyers and to build anticipation for future trips to Ireland - as Tourism Ireland and tourism operators across Ireland get ready to welcome international visitors once again."
Tourism Ireland's head of Asia, Middle East and UK inbound, David Boyce, stated, "We are really pleased to take part in ETOA's City Fair virtual promotion. The format of virtual one-to-one appointments provides a great opportunity for our partners to showcase their product or experience, and Ireland, to the important international travel buyers.
"Our message for those travel professionals is that we can’t wait to roll out the green carpet and welcome their clients back to our shores. We’ll be assuring them that tourism companies across the island of Ireland have been implementing all the required new health and safety measures - but will still be ready to deliver a fantastic holiday experience for their clients."
© 2021 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Dave Simpson. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
