Fáilte Ireland plans to rebrand Dublin as a tourist destination in order to achieve aims for tourist spending in the capital to hit €2.5 billion by 2020.
The Dublin brand is "pretty tired" according to research done by Fáilte Ireland, and marketing plans are currently been drawn up to aggressively market the city overseas with a new identity.
Speaking to the Irish Independent, chief executive Shaun Quinn outlined some new initiatives that will "marry the city with Dublin county".
The plan, he explains, is to make people aware of the actvities available outside the centre of the city. "The idea that you can go hill-walking in Dublin, in the capital city, that you can uncover the coastal villages, that kind of thing will broaden the appeal…it's not just about partying or consuming alcohol," said Quinn.
Tourist spending in Dublin increased to €1.5 billion last year, an increase from €1.4 billion in 2013. Visitor numbers also increased by about ten per cent from four million to 4.4 million.
The aim for Fáilte Ireland is to hit 6.2 million visitors to the capital by 2020, which Quinn says would be worth about €2.5 billion in revenue to the economy.
Tourism figures are once again nearing 2007 highs when 4.5 million people visited Dublin. An aggressive marketing campaign over the next few years will see the city doing even better, concluded Quinn.
