05 October 2012
Given the importance of our heritage and culture in attracting overseas visitors to Ireland, Fáilte Ireland has developed a new tourism toolkit especially for people who own, manage and work at Ireland’s heritage sites.
The new toolkit - A Tourism Toolkit for Ireland’s Built Heritage – How to Develop & Promote Heritage Attractions for Visitors – has been created to assist heritage businesses to increase the number of visitors to their business by enhancing how their story is told on-site and by assisting them to prepare and implement an effective marketing plan.
Speaking about what motivated Fáilte Ireland to develop this toolkit, Maeve McKeever, Culture and Heritage Manager, Fáilte Ireland emphasised –
“Ireland’s culture and heritage plays a big part in attracting visitors to Ireland every year. This toolkit has been developed to provide focus for businesses in the sector who want to target new audiences that have the best potential for growth. It also provides guidance for businesses looking to learn how best to develop and promote their built heritage experiences for our visitors.”
“Our history and culture is the third most important motivator for visitors when choosing Ireland as a holiday destination. In fact, last year, an estimated 3.4 million overseas visitors engaged in cultural activities and spent an estimated €2.7 billion while in Ireland so it’s important to us that this area is developed in a sustainable way that will ensure long-term results for tourism in Ireland.”
Download the Toolkit Today
You can view
the new heritage toolkit online or download your own copy at
www.failteireland.ie
You can also request a copy of the toolkit by emailing
helen.ohalloran@failteireland.ie
The toolkit also includes a suite of exercises to enable users to produce short-term practical action plans for their business activities.
Toolkit Workshops
Fáilte Ireland is holding a number of workshops during November 2012 to assist providers in using the toolkit and developing their own action plans. Availability at these workshops is limited. If you or a colleague is interested in attending such a workshop, please contact
Helen.ohalloran@failteireland.ie / 01 8847 138.
Some facts about Ireland’s historical/cultural visits in 2011
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2.5 million overseas visitors visited houses or castles.
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An estimated 2 million overseas visitors visited monuments while in Ireland.
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The level of attendance at museums/art galleries by overseas visitors was 1.9 million in 2011.
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Over 1.5 million overseas visitors visited heritage/interpretive centres while in Ireland in 2011.
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Almost 1.5 million overseas visitors visited gardens in 2011 with almost half of these visitors from Mainland Europe.
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An estimated 87,000 overseas visitors engaged in tracing roots/genealogical activities in 2011. North America was the most important market for this activity in 2011 accounting for more than half of such visitors.
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