Tourism Ireland

Tourism Ireland Tourism Ireland announces Global Greening line-up for St Patrick’s Day 2020

Madison Square Garden in New York, the world’s largest beaver statue in Canada, a giant statue of a kissing couple in Amsterdam, the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, Caerphilly Castle in South Wales, the Dubai Frame and even the Smurf Statue in Brussels will join Tourism Ireland’s Global Greening initiative for the first time in 2020. Tourism Ireland has announced details of some of the famous attractions and sites around the world which will go green to mark St Patrick’s Day this year, continuing the organisation’s first-half promotional drive to grow overseas tourism to Ireland in 2020. Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, with Tourism Minister Brendan Griffin, at the launch of Tourism Ireland’s Global Greening initiative 2020.

Other new sites and buildings taking part in Tourism Ireland’s Global Greening 2020 include: the National Museum of Qatar, City Hall in Bangkok, the World’s largest Hockey Stick and Puck on Vancouver Island and the National Theatre in London. These new sites will join some ‘old favourites’ which have gone green in previous years – including the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Moulin Rouge in Paris (which will become the ‘Moulin Vert’!), Niagara Falls, the Sydney Opera House, Burj al Arab, the Chain Bridge in Budapest, the London Eye and many others.

Madison Square Garden in New York will join Tourism Ireland’s Global Greening for the first time in 2020.

Ireland says ‘Hola’ in Spain!

Tourism Ireland in Spain unveiled its key themes for 2020, at an event in Madrid attended by over 60 top travel and lifestyle journalists – including representatives of Condé Nast Traveller, National Geographic, El Mundo and 5 Días – as well as popular bloggers and social influencers. Partners from Ireland were in attendance, helping to really bring the destination to life. They included the Kinsale Food Circle, showcasing produce like Blacks of Kinsale Gin, Kinsale Mead and Koko Chocolates. Kinsale and Cork is the area of Ireland with which Tourism Ireland in Spain is ‘twinned’ for 2020. Tourism Ireland also showcased Galway 2020, Taste the Island and Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands at the event. Pictured at the event are Joanne Murphy, Tourism Ireland; Hal McElroy, Trident Hotel; Barbara Wood, Tourism Ireland; and Ciaran Fitzgerald, Blue Haven Hotel and representing the Kinsale Good Food Circle.

Targeting Nordic tourists for Ireland!

Ireland was promoted to more than 30 top tour operators and travel agents from Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland – at Tourism Ireland’s 2020 Nordic trade workshops, which took place in Stockholm and Copenhagen. Twenty-five (25) Irish tourism companies took part in both workshops, meeting and doing business for 2020 with the Nordic tour operators – to encourage them to extend their Ireland offering, or to include Ireland for the first time, in their brochures and programmes. Irish tourism enterprises in Copenhagen, on day two of Tourism Ireland’s Nordic trade workshops, with Finola O’Mahony, Tourism Ireland (front, fifth left); HE Adrian McDaid, Irish Ambassador to Denmark (centre); and Julie McLaughlin, Tourism Ireland (front, third right).

Tourism Ireland leads sales blitz to Canada

Tourism Ireland, together with a delegation of 14 Irish and Canadian tourism companies, undertook a four-city sales blitz in Canada – meeting with more than 250 travel agents and group tour operators in the cities of Vancouver, Langley, Edmonton and Calgary. The sales mission involved a workshop in each city, where the participating tourism companies from Ireland had the opportunity to network with, and sell to, hundreds of influential Canadian travel professionals – informing them about the many things to see and do on a holiday around Ireland in 2020, as well as highlighting ease of access to Ireland (with direct flights from Vancouver and Calgary). The delegation also met influential travel journalists and bloggers at a media event in Vancouver. They are pictured with HE Jim Kelly, Irish Ambassador to Canada (centre); Sandra Moffatt (third left) and Dana Welch (seventh right), both Tourism Ireland.

2020 sales mission to the UAE and India

Tourism Ireland’s 2020 sales mission to the UAE and India took place recently. A delegation of Irish tourism companies – including hoteliers, visitor attractions and destination management companies – met and concluded deals with tour operators and travel agents in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Mumbai and Delhi. The sales mission also provided Tourism Ireland with a good opportunity to highlight ease of access to Ireland – including the British Irish Visa Scheme, which allows Indian travellers to visit both Ireland and the UK using a single visa; and, the fact that Ireland is now visa free for UAE nationals.