Global Irish Festival Series in major expansion plan to help attract more expats back home

A MAJOR tourism initiative targeting expats is to be expanded next year, Failte Ireland has confirmed.

The Global Irish Festival Series, which was piloted along the Wild Atlantic Way in October, will be doubled in size with the aim of expanding it to every county over four years.

The joint initiative with the Department of Foreign Affairs aims to encourage the diaspora to attend festivals in their home counties.

Product development director Orla Carroll said the series aims to build on the 2013 Gathering drive to get expats to return home.

She added: “We’re such a lucky country to have such a diaspora who connect to Ireland – 70 million people.

“It’s about recognising what we have and looking at how we can keep that motivation going.”

The first Global Irish festivals, costing €210,000, were held in October in Limerick and Donegal to drive tourism in the off-peak season.

Next year, funding provided to festivals counties.

Last year, more than 200,000 visitors attended music and cultural events in Ireland generating €108million for the will be in four economy. Ms Carroll said: “I would estimate that’s probably 220,000 in 2018 although we haven’t got those figures yet.”

By 2022, Failte Ireland wants to grow that total to 300,000, creating a €170million windfall.

Although the St Patrick’s Festival in Dublin draws the largest number of tourists, Ms Carroll said the majority of visitors went to events outside Dublin. She added: “When Irish people think Electric Picnic, international visitors don’t come for that.

“What they do travel for is the celebration of a specific interest, tradition or culture.”

Galway Arts Festival, Tradfest, Rose of Tralee, and Cork Jazz Festival are among some of the most popular.

A new Halloween festival is being launched next year, which will be in addition to the Bram Stoker event, held in Dublin every October.