17 November 2017
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Tourism Ireland, together with a delegation of 18 tourism enterprises, is undertaking a three-city trade and media blitz to the United States this week.
The ‘Jump into Ireland’ (JITI) sales blitz will see 12 Irish companies – including Inchydoney Island Lodge & Spa, from Inchydoney, West Cork – and six American tour operators meet with influential travel agents in the key cities of Dallas, San Diego and San Francisco. Each event also includes an opportunity for networking with influential travel and lifestyle journalists.
Pádraig McGillicuddy, Ballygarry House Hotel & Spa; Mandy Wilson, Brendan Vacations; Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland; Ruth McCarthy, Inchydoney Lodge & Spa; and Jim Deegan, Railtours Ireland First Class, at the ‘Jump into Ireland’ event in Dallas.
Pic: Jason Kindig
The states of California and Texas are important markets for tourism to Ireland and this week’s JITI provides a useful opportunity to cement the links that exist between these parts of the US and Ireland and to highlight what is new and exciting along the Wild Atlantic Way.
“Tourism Ireland has prioritised North America, as a market which offers a strong return on investment, in terms of holiday visitors and expenditure,” said Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s Head of North America. “Our ‘Jump into Ireland’ sales blitz to Dallas, San Diego and San Francisco this week provides an excellent platform to kick-start our promotional effort for 2018 and to spread the word about the many great things to see and do in Co Cork and Ireland. We are confident that our extensive programme of high impact campaigns and promotions, targeting consumers with the greatest potential to travel to Ireland, will deliver further growth.”
This week’s JITI schedule includes a B2B event in each of the three cities, with attendees enjoying an evening of Irish music and theatre, as actors engage with the participating Irish tourism companies to bring the destination to life. They are highlighting the unique nature of a vacation in Ireland and emphasising the special welcome for American visitors, as well as the ease of access to Ireland from the US.
This is the last of Tourism Ireland’s ‘Jump into Ireland’ events for 2017. Previous JITI events this year have visited Washington DC, Atlanta, Boca Raton, Austin, Chicago and Boston.
