The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Kerry at fore of tourism drive
TOURISM Ireland has announced it will increase its spending by €10 million in 2019 to €45 million and will launch its first new global advertising campaign in seven years to help attract more overseas visitors to the island of Ireland.
The additional funding will allow Tourism Ireland to significantly strengthen its marketing programmes next year. The organisation is targeting record numbers again next year and aims to grow overseas tourism revenue in 2019 to €6.5 billion (which would represent an increase of six per cent) and visitor numbers to 11.67 million (a four per cent hike).
Tourism Ireland’s new global campaign – ‘Fill your Heart with Ireland’ – will launch next month in the United States, Britain, France and Germany. From January 2019, it will be rolled out in over 20 markets around the globe.
The campaign will include TV, cinema, print, outdoor and online ads, as well as content for social platforms. The campaign will feature less-visited attractions and locations and aims to attract increased numbers of visitors all year round.
Details of the new campaign were revealed at the launch of Tourism Ireland’s marketing strategy and plans for 2019, an event attended by Tourism Minister Shane Ross and around 500 tourism industry leaders from around the country – including Kerry Airport.
Sustainability is the watchword for Tourism Ireland heading into 2019 and beyond. The organisation will place a greater focus on driving growth to less visited attractions and locations, as well as on driving business in the off-peak and shoulder seasons.
Tourism Ireland will also re-develop its entire suite of Ireland.com websites, which attract more than 20 million visits a year, to ensure its digital marketing continues to be ‘best in class’ in the 2020s. The new technology will also allow Tourism Ireland to re-target visitors and potential visitors with personalised messages and offers designed to appeal to their specific interests.