Promoting the West of Ireland and the Wild Atlantic Way in Britain
Tourism Ireland partners with Flybe and Ireland West Airport Knock to grow tourist numbers to the West
Tourism Ireland has teamed up with Flybe and Ireland West Airport Knock, to promote flights to Knock from Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh and grow tourist numbers to the West of Ireland this autumn. The joint campaign will run in Britain during August and September.
Working closely with airlines and airports to build demand for flights is a key priority for Tourism Ireland and this campaign includes an online article in the Daily Record in Scotland titled 'Nine exciting things to do along the Wild Atlantic Way' and an online article in the Birmingham Mail and the Manchester Evening News titled '9 fun and exciting things to do along west Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way' – highlighting "one of the most enchanting and culturally rich coastal touring routes in the world" and counties Mayo, Galway, Leitrim, Sligo, Roscommon and Donegal to millions of potential British holidaymakers. It also includes online ads on websites which will reach our key 'culturally curious' and 'great escaper' audiences.
Julie Wakley, Tourism Ireland's Deputy Head of Great Britain, said: "We are delighted to partner with Flybe and Ireland West Airport Knock once again, to maximise the promotion of flights from Birmingham, Edinburgh and Manchester and help grow tourist numbers to the West of Ireland this autumn. As an island, the importance of convenient, direct, non-stop flights cannot be overstated – they are absolutely critical to achieving growth in inbound tourism.
"Great Britain is the largest market for tourism to the island of Ireland and we have seen excellent growth in British visitor numbers so far again this year, with the most recent CSO figures for January to June showing a +16% increase. We will continue to roll out an extensive programme of promotions in Britain this autumn, to keep the momentum going and boost business in the shoulder and off-peak season."
In 2015, we welcomed more than 9.3 million overseas visitors to Ireland, delivering revenue of about €4.7 billion.
Tourism Ireland's international website is www.ireland.com, 29 market sites available in ten language versions around the world, which attracted more than 16.6 million visitors in 2015.
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