Tourism businesses across Ireland preparing VIP treatment
With Meitheal - Ireland’s largest travel trade fair – taking place next Tuesday and Wednesday in the RDS, tourism operators from across the country are preparing to welcome some of the world’s top travel buyers to their properties over the coming days. A series of bespoke itineraries have been developed as part of Fáilte Ireland’s efforts to highlight all that Ireland has to offer to these influential operators.
Itineraries 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 while other buyers will head to Mayo, Sligo & Donegal. In addition the travelling groups will discover both Dublin’s cool and traditional side partaking in wakeboarding in Grand Canal Dock as well as enjoying visits to Windmill Lane and the Book of Kells. Following the workshop buyers will take in Kilkenny, Waterford and Wexford.
Oonagh Kelly, Fáilte Ireland commented:
“Meitheal provides a valuable opportunity to forge even stronger commercial relations between local tourism providers and the international travel trade. With interest in visiting Ireland growing, our appeal remains strong and we now offer better value than for many years, hopefully, through events such as Meitheal, we can tap into this and win our fair share of overseas business for Ireland.
“This year Fáilte Ireland is delighted to present the Wild Atlantic Way to this group of high-end international tour operators. Ireland already benefits hugely from International tour business and generating market awareness of an area from Kinsale to Donegal is always the first step in establishing new business ties.
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ENDS
For further information please contact:
Louise Tolerton, Press Officer - 086 6086578
Catherine Whelan
Communications Department, Fáilte Ireland - 087 6449572
Notes for Editor
Meitheal 2014 Background Information
• Meitheal is the largest travel trade workshop that takes place for the Irish tourism industry. This year it is branded – Meitheal Global Travel Trade Fair Ireland 2014.
• The aim of Meitheal is to provide Irish tourism product providers with the opportunity to meet with overseas tour operators and group organisers, with a view to negotiating business for the future.
• Over the day and a half, 12,783 scheduled appointments will take place between 495 Irish trade members and 196 of the top tourism representatives from across the globe.
• In addition to business that can be done through appointments, Meitheal also offers attendees a host of more informal networking opportunities across the event.
• Meitheal is organised by Fáilte Ireland, in association with Tourism Ireland.
• This event, now in its thirty–ninth year, has evolved and grown to keep pace with the growth in Irish tourism.
• 17 countries will be represented at Meitheal 2014. They include: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, GB, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the US.
• Wild Atlantic Way Fam Trip
Two itineraries have been put together to highlight Ireland’s news touring route.
From Kinsale in Cork the group begin with a tour of the Charles Fort, Summer Cave; then on to Inchydoney Island Resort for a site visit, before taking a tour of the Mizen Head Visitor Centre and the following day taking the Harbour Queen Ferry around Garnish Island. Their visit to Kerry sees the operators arrive at the Moorings Restaurant in Portmagee, voted Ireland’s Tourism Town in 2012 with Bernie O’Donoghue acting as tour guide of Geokaun Mountain & Fogher Cliffs (Sunday) while on Monday a visit to Skelligs Experience Visitor Centre, Valentia Island and a tour of Muckross House and gardens finished their tour of the area.
The West and North West section of the Wild Atlantic includes a visit to the picturesque town of Westport where a guided tour of Westport House and Adventure Park with Biddy Hughes starts the day. Then on to the Greenway with Paul Harmon and his Electric Escapes bikes for the more energetic of the group. Mulranny Park Hotel site inspection is followed by a Gourmet Greenway lunch in the hotel finishing their visit to the lovely Mayo.
Heading North West to Sligo with a tour of the largest cemetery of megalithic tombs in Ireland among the country’s oldest at Carrowmore Megalithic Cemetery before departing for Rosses Point for a guided tour of its Historic Shipwreck and Famine Walk with Seatrails followed by dinner at Harry’s Gastro Bar. Sunday see the group partaking in a demo for Stand up Paddleboarding at the Strandhill Surf School before heading to visit W.B. Yeats grave at Drumcliffe Churchyard, with one of Ireland’s famous poet’s William Butler Years choose as his final resting place.
On Sunday the group head to Donegal Town and begin the day with site inspections to Harvey’s Point Hotel and Solis Lough Eske Hotel before heading on a guided tour of Donegal Castle.
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