The Business Tourism team from Fáilte Ireland is in London today pitching for new UK business worth up to €58million for the Irish economy.
The team is promoting Ireland as a world-class destination for hosting conferences, meetings and events at its annual “Meet Dublin in London” event.
Over 300 top UK buyers will meet directly with some of Ireland’s leading hoteliers, meeting venues and conference organisers to generate new business for the Meetings, Incentives, Conference and Events (MICE) sector through showcasing world-class facilities that Ireland can offer business delegates.
This year’s “Meet Dublin in London” event, which has become a firm favourite in the calendars of business tourism event bookers, will also focus on selling the regions with convention bureaux representatives from Galway, Shannon Region, Cork and Kerry in attendance.
The National Tourism Development Authority has identified Business Tourism as a priority sector as it helps businesses prepare for Brexit. It will focus on growing business tourism in the regions outside Dublin by supporting Regional Convention Bureaux in Shannon, Cork, Kerry and Galway. Fáilte Ireland is aiming to win conferences worth €31million for locations outside Dublin this year, a 15% increase on last year.
Fáilte Ireland’s Head of Commercial Development, Paul Mockler said:
“As we prepare for Brexit, central to our work is selling Ireland as a Business Tourism destination to the UK market which has always been a strong market for us in this area of our work. The annual Meet Dublin in London event is a key driver in generating major UK business. We are pushing regional Ireland as part of our work to drive more conferences and events to the regions to ensure we maximise the returns from this lucrative market. Last year was a record year for tourism with the sector generating €7.8billion in revenue and supporting 260,000 jobs. Business Tourism is fundamental for the growth of the tourism sector as a whole, particularly in supporting a longer season for many businesses, as conference delegates typically arrive outside the summer months.”
Emphasising the importance of directly targeting the UK market, Sam Johnston, Manager of Fáilte Ireland’s Convention Bureaux of Ireland team added:
“The Meet Dublin in London event is the perfect way of proactively promoting Ireland to this priority market by bringing a showcase of what it is that sets Ireland apart directly to the doorsteps of top UK buyers. Ireland stands out in the international marketplace as a top Business Tourism destination thanks to its amazing hospitality, ease of access, world class venues and leading industries. We look forward to bringing more UK business to Irish shores in the coming year and beyond.”
Business Tourism is currently worth at least €760million to the Irish economy and supports 22,000 jobs. Fáilte Ireland is working on growing the sector over the next six years to bring the value of business tourism to the Irish economy over the €1billion mark.
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