Seven tourism operators from around the island of Ireland travelled to London, to join Tourism Ireland for the 2014 Telegraph Outdoor Adventure & Travel Show.
This was the first time that Tourism Ireland had a presence at the four-day event – the largest exhibition in Britain for adventure and outdoors enthusiasts – which attracts around 55,000 visitors each year from London, the South East and elsewhere around GB.
It was an ideal opportunity to highlight the island of Ireland to one of Tourism Ireland’s new audiences – the ‘Great Escapers’, who want to get away from the stress of a busy life and are interested in active experiences and exciting exploration of the countryside. Vanessa Markey, Tourism Ireland’s head of Great Britain, said: “The Telegraph Outdoor Adventure & Travel Show was a new platform for Tourism Ireland, and our tourism partners, to showcase the superb outdoors and adventure experience on offer right around the island of Ireland. It was a really good opportunity for us to highlight the Wild Atlantic Way, the lakes of Fermanagh, as well as the plethora of land and water-based activities like surfing, diving and hiking – helping to encourage more outdoor and adventure enthusiasts around Britain to consider Ireland in 2014.” Great Britain is one of Ireland’s most important tourism market and figures for 2013 from the CSO showed a welcome return to growth in British visitors of +5.6%. Tourism Ireland’s ‘GB Path to Growth’ strategy will see the number of British visitors to the island of Ireland increase by +20% i.e. an additional 200,000 holiday visitors per year by 2016.
PIC SHOWS: Phyllis McGovern, Ashleigh House B&B, Waterford (and representing B&B Ireland); Paul Harmon, Electric Escapes (bicycle tour company based in Westport, Co Mayo); John Gaskin, Irish Cycling Safaris; Catherine Knox, Share Discovery Village, Co Fermanagh; Colin Woods, Ireland Walk Hike Bike (based in Tralee, Co Kerry); Neil Lucey, Gougane Barra Hotel, West Cork; and Joe Cruise, Tourism Ireland, at the 2014 Telegraph Outdoor Adventure & Travel Show in London.
