According to this article from The Irish News, Tourism Ireland has launched a 7M GBP marketing campaign to increase visitation to Northern Ireland during September-December 2016.
Key points:
- About 30% of Northern Ireland's international tourism business normally occurs in this period.
- The campaign will highlight festivals and events, along with the Seamus Heaney HomePlace, scheduled to open in late September
- Targeted source markets include Britain, North America, Continental Europe, Australia and emerging markets.
- Tourism Ireland is doing co-op promotions of autumn breaks in Belfast and Northern Ireland with Ryanair, Flybe, Aer Lingus, Visit Belfast, P&O and Stena Line.
- Marketing channels include online advertising along with digital PR and social media platforms.
- Tourism Ireland will be at the Stone Mountain Highland Games in Atlanta in October, targeting the US Scot-Irish market.
- There will be a 'Jump into Ireland' media blitz in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle.
- Sales missions are planned to the Middle East, India, New Zealand and Australia.
Tourism Ireland CEO Niall Gibbons said:
"This autumn campaign aims to take advantage of late booking trends in our markets around the world, as there is still plenty of business to play for. Many people are opting for shorter holiday breaks and autumn is a good opportunity, with many world-class festivals and events happening here.”
It's good to see Tourism Ireland promoting Northern Ireland to the US Scots-Irish market, which is a large and important one - hitherto largely neglected - in many US states including the Southeast, northern New England, and a number of western states.
