The board members of Tourism Ireland visited Donegal on Wednesday to hold the September board meeting at The Mill Park Hotel.
The board members took the opportunity to meet with local tourism operators in the Harbour Restaurant prior to the meeting, to discuss overseas tourism so far this year and the extensive promotional programme which Tourism Ireland is undertaking to highlight Donegal, the Wild Atlantic Way and the island of Ireland around the world this year.
Co Donegal, its spectacular scenery, visitor attractions and events, as well as many other aspects of this part of Ireland, feature prominently in Tourism Ireland’s promotions around the world.
Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland; Joan O’Shaughnessy, Chairman of Tourism Ireland; Pauline Sweeney, Donegal Airport; and James Doherty, Sliabh Liag Distillery, before the Tourism Ireland board meeting at the Mill Park Hotel in Donegal.
Pic – John McConnell
Speaking after the board meeting, Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said: “We were delighted to be in Donegal for this month’s board meeting and to have the chance to meet with representatives of the local tourism industry and to hear directly how their business is doing.
“It also afforded us the opportunity to discuss the extensive promotional programme which Tourism Ireland is undertaking around the world this year, to build on the success of 2016 and continue to grow overseas visitor numbers to the island of Ireland in 2017.”
Tourism Ireland profiles Donegal and the Wild Atlantic Way extensively on its global suite of websites, Ireland.com, which attracted more than 19.37 million unique visitors in 2016. Donegal is also highlighted through Tourism Ireland’s social media platforms – to its 4 million active Facebook fans and 411,000 followers on Twitter.
In 2016, Tourism Ireland helped generate over €35 million worth of positive publicity for Donegal in key markets around the world, through press releases, press visits, e-newsletters and various media events.
