June 9 - Tourism Ireland has launched a new €3.5 million promotional campaign, to build anticipation for holidays in Ireland this summer.

 

The recent announcement about the re-opening of international travel to Ireland on 19 July is excellent news for everyone working in the tourism and hospitality sector here. Tourism Ireland has been actively planning for this restart and is now ready to roll out a significant promotional kick-start campaign to entice and welcome back overseas visitors.

 

Phase one involves a major digital video campaign, which goes live from today (7 June). Called ‘Let’s get back to Ireland’, the online video will build anticipation for holidays in Ireland this summer. It will be promoted via online video platforms (including YouTube), on social media, mobile devices, as well as on Connected TV (television that can stream digital content), in nine different markets: Great Britain, the United States, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, the Nordic countries and Switzerland.

 

 

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD, said: “I am delighted to officially launch Tourism Ireland’s new €3.5 million campaign ‘Let’s get back to Ireland’, which goes live from today. There is now cause for great optimism within the tourism and hospitality sector, as the rollout of the vaccination programme gathers pace. July 19th marks the return of international travel, which is a further significant step along the road to recovery. Combined with today’s reopening of outdoor dining, alongside the already opened accommodation sector, there is a sense of relief and excitement for business owners, staff and their guests.
 

 

“Tourism Ireland has an impeccable track record in overseas marketing and I look forward to continuing to engage with the agency in the weeks and months ahead, as momentum behind this new campaign builds even more. I join the sector in extending a warm welcome to tourists planning a visit to the island of Ireland and I’m excited visitors can once again experience our stunning landscapes, hospitality, friendly locals and abundance of history, heritage, culture and great outdoors in the near future.”

 

Niall Gibbons, Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland, said: “We are delighted to unveil our new campaign, ‘Let’s get back to Ireland’, which will help build anticipation for trips to Ireland this summer, among holidaymakers in our key overseas markets.

 

“We know from our research that there is significant pent-up demand among overseas visitors to return to Ireland as soon as possible. However, we also know that there will be significant competition, as every destination across the globe has experienced the impact of COVID and will be seeking their share of the recovery. As international travel begins to restart, the priority for Tourism Ireland will be to keep the island of Ireland front and centre in consumers’ minds. Our kick-start campaign will need to punch through the noise and create an immediate desire to visit.”

 

Before COVID-19, overseas tourism had recorded nine consecutive years of record growth. In fact, 2019 surpassed all previous records – when Ireland welcomed 11.3 million overseas visitors to the island of Ireland, who spent €5.9 billion while here.

 

Niall Gibbons continued: “All of us at Tourism Ireland are ready to play our part in the recovery of our sector. Our message is that we can’t wait to roll out the green carpet and welcome back our overseas visitors.”

 

Phase two of Tourism Ireland’s kick-start activity will go live in July. This will be a separate campaign, which will deliver a very clear ‘book now’ message to prospective international visitors and will single-mindedly drive visitor numbers back to Ireland.

 

 

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