One hundred top American travel experts and leaders are visiting Ireland this week, on a ‘reward trip’ as guests of Collette Vacations, one of America’s oldest and largest tour operators.
Each year, Collette Vacations brings its prestigious ‘President’s Club’ of top-producing group travel organisers to a different destination. For 2014, the selected destination is Ireland. Coming from all over the United States, the visiting Americans were the top sellers of Collette’s travel programmes last year. As their reward, they were invited to take part in the trip to Ireland, which is supported by Tourism Ireland. This is the first time that the Collette Vacations President’s Club has come to Ireland. Their itinerary has taken them to Belfast, the Giant’s Causeway, Derry, Mayo and Dublin. Given that these influential travel organisers are responsible for putting in place arrangements for holidays and excursions around the world – for all types of clubs, associations and communities – their visit in an ideal opportunity to showcase our spectacular scenery and the wealth of things to see and do here for American travellers. Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s head of North America, said: “We are delighted that a prominent American travel company like Collette Vacations has chosen the island of Ireland for their 2014 President’s Club destination. The visit of these top-selling travel organisers presents us with an excellent opportunity to showcase Ireland as a premier destination. Visits such as this are extremely important as they help the travel organisers to know exactly what Ireland has to offer; our aim is to enthuse them about the destination, so that when they return home they are better equipped to advise their groups and clients when planning and booking their trips for 2014 and beyond.” PIC SHOWS: American travel organisers before a gala dinner in the Guinness Storehouse, in Dublin, with Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s head of North America (front, left), and Dan Sullivan, president of Collette Vacations (front, second left).
