‘The goal is to keep the destination alive in the minds of the travellers’

The current lockdown has given us an opportunity to showcase the various tourism products that Ireland has to offer. Tourism Ireland, India is conducting regular trainings to educate a large number of travel companies about the breathtaking landscapes, rural idylls to buzzing urban hubs, amazing festivals, mesmerising castles and cathedrals, Irish distilleries and breweries and many more. Familiarising the agents about the world’s longest, clearly defined coastal self-driving route, the Wild Atlantic Way, which is in Ireland that stretches across 2,500 km of sensational journey of soaring cliffs and buzzing towns and cities, of hidden beaches and epic bays. We are also educating the agents on bustling cities of Belfast and Dublin, historic city of Derry Londonderry and some of Ireland’s most incredible sights like the Causeway Coastal Route, Ireland’s Ancient East.

Due to the pandemic, Ireland’s annual workshop, Meet The Buyer (MTB) and Meitheal 2020 could not take place in March. Hence, last month Tourism Ireland conducted Virtual Meitheal and MTB for its global travel partners. The two events received an overwhelming response from the Indian operators. Virtual Meitheal programme which took place across the span of seven days witnessed participation from 350 Irish suppliers. The Indian operators got an opportunity to gain indepth knowledge about the destination making the best use of their time under current circumstances. Virtual MTB that ran over four days had 141 Northern Ireland industry stakeholders. The Indian operators found this event extremely meaningful and gained insight on the destination along with e-networking with the Irish operators. The events gave a platform to the Indian operators to prepare themselves and gear up for when the travel resumes.

In addition, Tourism Ireland is sending out newsletters updating the travel trade on Irish products and services and, current COVID situation in the island of Ireland. To keep the recall value of the destination, Tourism Ireland is also posting regularly on social media platforms.

Besides the training programmes and webinars, Tourism Ireland is keeping the interest in the destination alive through online activities so that consumers have a desire to travel once the restrictions are lifted. In keeping with the trend and the new normal, we are virtually showcasing the picturesque island of Ireland through our unique campaigns. The revival campaign #FillYourHeartWithIreland has a series of posts promoting unique experiences in Ireland through videos and photographs. Tourism Ireland, India is also promoting a unique campaign, #DreamNowandTravelLater, encouraging travellers to connect with the destination. We have also created a beautiful poem by a local poet ‘I will return’ and paired it with breathtaking visuals of Irish landscape and music to form a short video that leaves the viewer longing to return to Ireland. We have also come up with a series of serenity videos, which emphasises the natural beauty of Ireland with mesmerising music.

Tourism Ireland promoted unique days such as World Whiskey Day and World Cheese Day. Furthermore, we have been disseminating content regularly on traditional Irish recipes, virtual tours of museums, gardens and castles, virtual concerts of favourite Irish musicians. The goal is to keep the destination alive in the minds of the travellers. Tourism Ireland is also hosting regular watch parties with influencers of movies/ shows shot in Ireland, particularly Game of Thrones and Stars Wars.