Enjoying Gaelic Experience in Dublin
With Meitheal - Ireland’s largest travel trade fair - currently in full swing in the RDS, tourism operators from across the country have been rolling out the red carpet for some of the world’s top travel buyers. A series of exciting and compelling itineraries have been developed as part of Fáilte Ireland’s efforts to highlight all the best Ireland has to offer to these very influential operators.
The tours take place as part of Ireland’s largest tourism trade fair, ‘meitheal’ where important scheduled appointments are taking place in the RDS between 500 Irish trade members and 200 of the top tourism representatives from across the globe to arrange business (and customers) for next year. The ‘Meitheal’ event involves 13,000 ten minute pitch-meetings in total between Irish and overseas operators – a process akin to ‘speed dating’ and one which will hopefully produce many successful matches.
The tours for attending overseas operators are an integral part of selling destination Ireland. For example, tailored tours have been arranged highlighting our newest tourism product, the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland’s first long distance touring route which is already garnering significant interest overseas. The buyers will enjoy the delights of Cork and Kerry before heading north to Mayo, Sligo & Donegal. In addition the travelling groups will discover both Dublin’s cool and traditional side as well as taking in Wexford and Kilkenny along the South East.
Speaking today, Shaun Quinn CEO of Fáilte Ireland stressed the importance of ensuring these agents get the full picture while briefly here for the ‘Meitheal’ trade fair –
“Ensuring these key buyers leave with a positive experience of Ireland is pivotal in gaining more visitors next year. Our tourism industry has been working hard over the last week, both at the workshop event in the RDS and during the familiarisation trips, to show these influential agents that Ireland is very much open for business.”
Some of the activities included -
• Spooky goings on in Loftus Hall, an abandoned haunted house in county Wexford
• Testing their limits wakeboarding in Grand Canal Dock
• Discovering the stories behind the music in Windmill Lane
• Making cider at Orchard Farm in Kilkenny
• Discovering the hidden gems along the Wild Atlantic Way
Meitheal, a central date in the tourism industry calendar, is now in its thirty–ninth year and has gone from strength to strength with countries from all around the world represented at this year’s event – including Ireland’s top four markets the US, UK, Germany and France. Delegates are also arriving from as far afield as China, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway.
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ENDS
For further information please contact:
Alex Connolly – Head of Communications
086 7966320/01 8847884
Louise Tolerton - Press Officer
086 6086578/01 8847135
Note for Editor
Fáilte Ireland, the national tourism development authority, was established in 2003 to guide and promote tourism as a leading indigenous component of the Irish economy.
The tourism and hospitality industry employs an estimated 185,000 people and generates almost €5.7 billion in revenue a year.
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