Indeed, the international perception of Ireland as
a friendly and welcoming place received another
boost recently, after Dublin was voted “Europe’s
Friendliest City” for the second year in a row by
TripAdvisor.
In addition to that, Ireland offers tourists the
opportunity to see an abundance of world-renowned
landmarks and historical sites such as the Cliffs of
Moher, the monastic settlements in Glendalough,
the Powerscourt Waterfall and the Giant’s
Causeway.
“The Giant’s Causeway Visitors Centre is soon
to be opened in County Antrim, so that will be a
big treat for tourists who choose to travel North”,
explains Gibbons.
The UK is the country from which most tourists
consistently come to Ireland. There has been a dip
in numbers since the onset of the global economic
crisis, but this is a development that Gibbons is
seeking to redress,
“Of course, the global financial situation means
that there has been a reduction of incoming tourism
from the UK of late. In our communications
therefore, we are emphasising the value that Ireland
can deliver as an option for holiday makers”, says the
chief executive, “Prices have come down in Ireland.
We are also extolling the virtues of car tourism,
which enables people not only to reduce costs, but to
tailor make their own itinerary.”
12% of visitors to Ireland come from North
America – the United States and Canada. Ireland’s
special relationship with North America and its
great Diaspora means that many visitors come back
to their ancestral home and endeavour to trace their
roots. Every effort is made to facilitate this.
Germany represents one of the largest potential
markets as regards tourism, and as such, it is one
that Tourism Ireland is actively targeting.
“We went on national television in Germany
recently with a sustained branding campaign. It was
a huge success. Our website visits increased 500%
over the cours e of the campaign”, explains Gibbons,
“The Germans are great fans of traditional Irish
music, so this is one area in which we really carry an
advantage. There are actually over 1,000 Irish bands
in Germany!”
In terms of emerging markets, Tourism Ireland has
just opened up a new office in Dubai’s Jebel Ali Free
Zone. With their emerging middle classes, China
and India are also target areas of high-priority.
Niall Gibbons is also keen to mention the businessside of the equation,
“With the recent addition to our portfolio of the
Convention Centre Dublin – we are able to present
a large scale corporate offering that we were not
able to before. ‘Ireland is open for business’ is the
collective slogan that we are adopting in terms of
presenting our business tourism offering to the
international marketplace.”
“Of course, our golf facilities are second-to-none,
and this is widely recognised. Our corporate
hospitality therefore is world-class.”
In closing, the message from Tourism Ireland’s chief
executive is clear;
“Whether you are coming here for business or
leisure, Ireland is unique and compelling. There has
never been a better time to come”.
115