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Tag Archives: Tourism Ireland

Clare to be twinned with US as part of tourism initiative

CLARE is set to get special promotion of its tourism attraction to US markets this year as part of a new initiative. Tourism Ireland is rolling out its ‘twinning’ initiative this year, which involves overseas markets ‘twinning with’ a specific region or area in Ireland. The United States is ‘twinning’ with Clare and Limerick, so Tourism Ireland in the United States is placing a special focus on both counties this year. The tourism body held its March board meeting in Limerick last week and met with regional tourism representatives to discuss activity to restart overseas tourism to Ireland this year. The extensive promotional programme which Tourism Ireland is undertaking to highlight Clare and Limerick, the Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland around the world in 2022 was on the agenda also. Speaking after the board meeting, Niall Gibbons, Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland, said: “We were delighted to have the chance to meet with representatives of the Clare and Limerick tourism …

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More than 20,000 Italians are reading about Clare tourism jewel

OVER 20,000 readers of Bell’Europa magazine in Italy are reading all about the Burren this month. The May edition of the glossy travel magazine, includes a 64-page supplement dedicated entirely to Ireland. Tourism Ireland in Milan teamed up with Bell’Europa to produce the special supplement, which features a stunning image of the Cliffs of Moher and articles about the Burren. Ornella Gamacchio, Tourism Ireland’s Manager Italy, said, “We are delighted with the excellent coverage in this month’s edition of Bell’Europa magazine. This special supplement, dedicated to Ireland, will be read by over 20,000 Italians – so it’s a great way of keeping Ireland and the Burren to the fore in Italy. We look forward to welcoming Italian visitors to the island of Ireland, as soon as the time is right.”

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Promotional blitz planned for Burren Ecotourism Network

A MAJOR promotional push of the Burren Ecotourism Network is being planned in the wake of the local initiative becoming the only Irish tourism project to be included in the Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel picks for 2021. Naming the Burren Ecotourism Network one of ten world-wide winners in its new ‘Best in Community’ category this week Lonely Planet described it as “an impressive community collaboration of over 60 local enterprises which has transformed Ireland’s Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark into a global leader for sustainable tourism. Joining together to promote slow tourism, local engagement and a greater responsibility for a more sustainable future for all in the area. All enterprises subscribe to the Burren & Cliffs of Moher Geopark ‘Code of Sustainable Practice’. This is an online platform that measures waste output, water consumption and energy usage and encourages each business to make reductions in these areas. The Code of Practice is the only one of its kind in …

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One million Swedes catch a glimpse of Clare

IMAGES of Lahinch were beamed into the homes of some one million people in Sweden recently, in an episode of a popular TV show called Go’kväll. The show aired on Sveriges Television, the national public broadcaster in Sweden, and focused on seaweed-foraging and locally-produced beer. It also featured the spectacular County Clare landscape. Filming took place last summer and was supported by Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland. Viewers of Go’kväll saw reporter Joachim Vogel interview local seaweed forager Oonagh O’Dwyer, from Wild Kitchen, as well as Birgitta and Peter Curtin from The Burren Brewery. A separate episode featuring County Clare also aired at the end January, featuring Lisdoonvarna matchmaker Willie Daly and The Burren. “Tourism Ireland was delighted that Go’kväll chose to film in Clare. With an audience of more than one million viewers per episode, it was a fantastic opportunity to showcase County Clare and the Wild Atlantic Way,” said Julie McLaughlin, Tourism Ireland’s manager for the Nordic Region. …

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An eipc drive on Wild Atlantic Way

Travel bible Lonely Planet has named two routes on the island of Ireland – the Wild Atlantic Way and the Causeway Coastal Route – as two of the “world’s ultimate road trips”, in its new publication Epic Drives of the World. The Wild Atlantic Way covers the length of the west Clare coastline from Loop Head to Ballyvaughan. Welcoming the news, Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said: “The inclusion of the Wild Atlantic Way in Lonely Planet’s new ‘Epic Drives of the World’ is wonderful news and will surely help to inspire travellers everywhere to put Ireland on their holiday wish-list. It is another well-deserved accolade for Ireland and our spectacular scenery, which provides Tourism Ireland with a great hook to continue to promote the Wild Atlantic Way and the island of Ireland around the world as a ‘must visit’ destination.”

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German journalists enjoy gardens tour

Six German journalists will engage in a press trip along the Wild Atlantic Way over the next few days to enjoy a bespoke itinerary of a selection of gardens which will give a major boost in counties Clare, Galway and Limerick. These influential media have a combined circulation of over 1 million and write for a number of national and regional newspapers in Germany. As guests of Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland, the group will get to see for themselves some amazing gardens and things to do along the Wild Atlantic Way. During their visit the group will meet members of the Irish Seed Savers Association which was set up to safeguard hundreds of heritage vegetable seeds at Capparoe in Scariff, and will pay a visit to Caher Bridge Garden in Fanore and take the Burren Walk with environmentalist Gordon D’Arcy. Ciara Sugrue, Fáilte Ireland’s Head of International Publicity, stressed the importance of international media coverage. “Welcoming media, such as …

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Clare companies at UK travel show

Fourteen Irish tourism companies, including O’Brien Line Ferries and Shannon Ferries, have joined Tourism Ireland at the British Tourism and Travel Show this week. The show at the NEC in Birmingham is an annual event for the travel trade in Britain,attracting nearly 3,000 coach tour operators and group travel organisers, including leading travel companies like British Airways Holidays, Coachholidays.com and JacTravel. The two-day event provides a valuable opportunity for the participating companies from Ireland to meet, and do business with, key players in the British travel trade. Julie Wakley, Tourism Ireland’s deputy head of Great Britain, said, “Great Britain is the largest market for tourism to Ireland and we were pleased to see visitor numbers increase by +11% in 2016, an extra 377,200 British visitors compared with 2015. Our presence at this year’s show is just one element of Tourism Ireland’s programme of activity with the travel trade. Our aim is to enthuse the British travel trade, including online and …

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Council promotes Clare in New York

Representatives of Clare County Council met with senior executives from Tourism Ireland in New York over  St Patrick’s weekend. They were briefed on Tourism Ireland’s extensive promotional programme for 2017, which is in full swing right now. Tourism Ireland aims to build on the success of 2016, which was the fourth record-breaking year in a row for Irish tourism from the United States. Tourism Ireland is prioritising North America this year, as a market which offers a strong return on investment, in terms of holiday visitors and expenditure. Our important ‘culturally curious’ and ‘social energiser’ audiences are being targeted with distinctive vacation experiences, events and special offers tailored to their interests. Tourism Ireland is creating ‘stand out’ for the island of Ireland in the US, highlighting experiences like the Wild Atlantic Way, the Causeway Coastal Route and Ireland’s Ancient East. Promotions aim to grow travel to the regions of Ireland, during the shoulder and off-peak seasons. With the recent announcement …

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