Tourism Ireland launched details of its marketing plans and plans to promote the island of Ireland overseas in 2023, at an event attended by Tourism Minister Catherine Martin and around 500 tourism industry leaders from around the country.
Tourism Ireland aims to rebuild revenue from overseas holidaymakers to pre-pandemic levels – by attracting ‘value-adding tourists’ (visitors who stay longer, spend more in the regions and in Northern Ireland, arrive during the shoulder season and consider their impact on the environment) and by focusing on markets that deliver the greatest revenue. This will be achieved through a wide range of promotional activities, including major marketing campaigns, publicity and programming, social media and digital marketing, as well as working with the tourism industry at home and the travel trade overseas to facilitate sales.
This year, Tourism Ireland will roll out an extensive and targeted programme of activity with a marketing budget of €78 million.
Sustainability will be at the heart of Tourism Ireland’s work over the coming years. As well as focusing on the economic sustainability of the tourism industry (the contribution overseas tourism makes to economic prosperity and, in particular, to jobs and livelihoods), Tourism Ireland’s strategy also has social sustainability (the benefit that communities across the island experience from overseas tourism) and environmental sustainability at its core.
Speaking at the launch, Tourism Minister Catherine Martin said, “I want to commend Tourism Ireland for the comprehensive marketing strategy they have put in place for 2023. In particular, I welcome the focus on embedding sustainability across all its activities, the increased consideration of the environmental impacts of tourism and the focus on increasing representation of holidaymaker diversity. International travel to Ireland rebounded strongly in 2022, but the sector continues to face significant challenges, therefore it is vital that we continue to invest in overseas marketing and the additional funding of €15 million that I secured in Budget 2023 will enable Tourism Ireland to significantly ramp up its promotion of Ireland as world-class tourism experience in key markets.”
“I also want to take this opportunity to acknowledge Niall Gibbons’ contribution to Tourism Ireland. Niall, who will step down as CEO in April, played a key role in the development of the organisation through its formative years and has overseen its emergence as a world leader in tourism marketing. The record levels of growth in tourist numbers, and associated revenues over the past decade, is testament to his hard work and leadership. I wish to thank him for over 20 years of outstanding service to Irish tourism and I wish him every success in the future.”
Source: Tourism Ireland
