Tourism Ireland’s ME Roadshow
In the wake of COVID-19 the Blue Book created a safety charter to highlight our single-minded focus on the health and safety of our guests and employees. We will achieve that focus whilst still providing the exceptional hospitality and luxurious experiences with which the Blue Book is synonymous. The Middle East is a market we are exploring with our partner Tourism Ireland. With direct flights to Ireland with Etihad and Emirates we feel the market holds great potential. In February 2020, our team travelled to Dubai to meet travel agents and tour operators after attending TFest.
The Merrion has had a longstanding relationship with the Middle East Market, while welcoming guests since our doors opened in 1997. As a member of Leading Hotels of the World, we pride ourselves on providing five-star luxury service to all our guests. The Merrion offers a number of accommodation options for our guests including spacious suites, connecting rooms, the largest Penthouse in Dublin city centre and the option for exclusive use of Floors. The Merrion houses one of Ireland’s largest and most notable private art collections, the jewels of which are on view in the public rooms and suites.
We have continued to invest in our hotel product, in terms of technology , fixture , fittings and experiences. For 60 years, Killarney Hotels has placed an unwavering focus on the health and wellbeing of our most valued guests and colleagues in each of our properties. Rest assured that this focus is especially important during the current Coronavirus crisis. We are continuously monitoring and following the changes in recommendations and guidelines from the government, local authorities and from the WHO, to continue working towards providing the best service possible, while safeguarding the welfare of our guests.
When COVID-19 hit globally in 2020 Titanic Belfast reacted on how we could make changes to ensure our product would still deliver to the 5-star standard. When we did re-open in the latter part of summer 2020 we had great feedback and visitors felt they got more out of the experience with the changes made. This will continue into 2021. In January 2020 I spent a week on a Tourism Ireland Sales Mission in the Middle East. During this week I was very well educated on the market and got a great understanding of what the market would like to see. It is very important for Titanic to build on these relationships and to see these develop over the next few years.
Luxurious Ireland has expanded its offerings within Island of Ireland, working with more unique and private exclusive hire properties and experiences. Ireland is where you can escape from the hustle and bustle of cities, experience beautiful wide-open spaces, discover stunning landscapes and dramatic scenery. The Middle East market has been evolving for us over the last few years and we are excited to be expanding our connections with agents and operators seeking something a little different and exclusive for their guests.
We have enhanced our experience to ensure a safe and enjoyable welcome for our visitors.
With the current pandemic and dependency of certain markets, the Middle East will be an important part of our strategy to grow visitors in 2021 and beyond. The luxury Waterford brand and experience is a good fit with the Middle East market. We are not currently working with travel agents or tour operators in the middle east, however, it is something we wish to explore with our existing tour operators and new potential operators. We do work with Tourism Ireland’s offices in our target markets.