Tourism & Hospitality Firms To Benefit From Industry Masterclass

Tourism agencies on the island of Ireland have united to share their experiences and advice on the market with 150 local hospitality and tourism providers.

The tourism market from the Republic of Ireland, France, Germany and the United States accounts for over £2 million of visitor spend in Northern Ireland. Stakeholders in the industry were given tailored advice from experts at Tourism NI and Tourism Ireland on how to successfully harness this trade, as part of the 'Understanding Your Market' masterclass. Businesses are encouraged to promote what the region has to offer, such as the 148th Open at Royal Portrush and the final season of Game of Thrones, to sell Northern Ireland as a perfect holiday destination.

Speaking at the event on Wednesday 27 January, Aine Kearney, Tourism NI Director of Business Support & Events said: "We are delighted to be joined today by our colleagues from Tourism Ireland who are working on the ground in France, Germany and the United States and whose knowledge and expertise from those markets will be of huge benefit to delegates along with the insights offered by my colleagues from the Tourism NI team based in Dublin.

"Every market is different and to be successful it is important to explore what type of experiences visitors from individual markets are looking for, how they differ and how best to target them. Attracting new visitors is one of five key areas of growth identified as a struggle for tourism businesses. The aim of our programme is to provide the training and resources required by the industry to help boost development."

Louise Finnegan, Tourism Ireland's Head of Business Partnerships, said: "Tourism Ireland's overseas teams are delighted to have the opportunity to share market intelligence with our industry partners here in Northern Ireland. Understanding the nuances of our key overseas markets helps our partners to hone their marketing activities as closely as possible. Our aim is to help them do more business overseas and facilitate them to 'close the sale'.

"Tourism Ireland has an extensive programme of promotions under way this year. We are taking every opportunity to leverage the exciting events happening over the coming months- including The 148th Open at Royal Portrush. And, next month, we will unveil our new campaign around the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones. Our message overseas continues to be that a holiday in Northern Ireland offers the perfect combination of great events, spectacular scenery and our own unique brand of hospitality."

Tourism NI also launched a series of new toolkits at the masterclass aimed at helping the industry maximise its growth opportunities through selling to the Republic of Ireland market, and using sales and marketing techniques.



(JG/CM)