Twenty-three coach and group tour operators, as well as a journalist writing for the Coach Tourism Association’s quarterly magazine, are exploring Donegal and Ireland.
They are here to attend workshops in the Waterfoot Hotel in Derry and the Landmark Hotel in Carrick-on-Shannon, where they will meet with local tourism enterprises to negotiate for their 2020 programmes.
Between the two workshops, the tour operators are also taking part in a fact-finding visit as guests of Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland, to experience for themselves the high standard and variety of our tourism offering.
Their action-packed programme includes Fanad Head Lighthouse, Doe Castle, Glenveagh National Park and Glenveagh Castle, as well as the Sliabh Liag Cliffs. It also includes lunch and a trad music session at Leo’s Tavern in Crolly and an overnight stay in the Radisson Blu Hotel in Letterkenny.
British coach and group tour operators pictured with Linda Duncan (left) and Juno Thompson (right), both Tourism Ireland, at Fanad Lighthouse.
Pic – John McConnell
Julie Wakley, Tourism Ireland’s Head of Britain, said: “Tourism Ireland was delighted to invite these leading British tour operators to Donegal and Ireland, to see and experience some of our many visitor attractions and to encourage them to extend the Donegal and Ireland content of their existing programmes and itineraries, or to include Ireland for the first time in their 2020 programmes.”
Brexit remains an ongoing challenge for Irish tourism – giving rise to consumer concern in Britain. The fall in the value of sterling has made holidays here more expensive for British visitors – and has made Britain more affordable for visitors from many of our top markets.
Therefore, attractive offers for good value fares and packages are a major focus for Tourism Ireland’s autumn campaign in Britain. An extensive programme of co-operative promotions with air and sea carriers, online travel agents, as well as traditional tour operators and travel agents, is either under way or in the pipeline.
Britain continues to be a very important market for tourism to the island of Ireland, delivering 44% of all overseas visitors and around 25% of all overseas tourism revenue. Its contribution to the regional tourism economy and to season extension objectives are also significant, with 42% of British visitors arriving between October and March.
Julie Wakley continued: “Tourism Ireland is rolling out an extensive programme of promotional activity in Britain this autumn – highlighting compelling reasons to visit Donegal and Ireland, as well as showing how easy it is to get here and the good value available from our industry partners. Our autumn campaign aims to take advantage of late booking trends, as there is still plenty of business to play for. One of our key objectives is to drive more business to our regions, right throughout the off-peak and shoulder season months.”
Tags: