General Industry

Tourism Ireland Announces New NI Head of Stakeholder Engagement; Leads Virtual Sales Mission In The Netherlands And Belgium

By Dave Simpson
Tourism Ireland Announces New NI Head of Stakeholder Engagement; Leads Virtual Sales Mission In The Netherlands And Belgium

Tourism Ireland has announced a new Northern Ireland head of stakeholder engagement and led a virtual sales mission in The Netherlands and Belgium.

New Northern Ireland Head Of Stakeholder Engagement

In a statement published on its website, Tourism Ireland said, "Tourism Ireland has announced the appointment of Helen McGorman to the position of Head of Stakeholder Engagement - Northern Ireland.

"Helen will take up the post immediately, based in Tourism Ireland's office in Coleraine. She will work collaboratively with colleagues in Tourism Northern Ireland and other agencies, with local authorities and groups across the Northern Ireland tourism industry, to identify opportunities to restart and rebuild overseas tourism to Northern Ireland.

"Commenting on the appointment, Shane Clarke, Tourism Ireland's Director of Corporate Services, Policy & Northern Ireland, said, 'I am delighted to announce the appointment of Helen McGorman to this key strategic role in our organisation, following an extensive external competition. She brings a wealth of industry experience and a very strong track record of achievement to the role. She takes up this pivotal post of Head of Stakeholder Engagement Northern Ireland at a challenging time, as we restart overseas tourism to Northern Ireland.'

"Prior to joining Tourism Ireland, Helen was Visitor Experience Consultant for the National Trust; and before that worked as Destination Manager for Greater Belfast and as Product Development Officer - Culture & Heritage for Tourism NI."

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Virtual Sales Mission In The Netherlands And Belgium

In a separate statement, Tourism Ireland said, "Tourism Ireland's virtual sales mission in the Netherlands and Belgium kicked off this week, with twenty-two (22) tourism businesses from Ireland set to take part over the next two weeks.

"The tourism companies from Ireland are engaging in a number of virtual 'boardroom' style sessions, to showcase and sell their product or experience to the influential Dutch and Belgian travel professionals. The aim of the sales mission is to highlight the many experiences and attractions on offer here to influential tour operators from the Netherlands and Belgium, to remind them about the many reasons for their clients to choose Ireland as their next holiday destination.

"Karen van der Horst, Tourism Ireland's Manager for Northern Europe, said, 'Tourism Ireland is delighted that these key Dutch and Belgian tour operators are taking the time to join our sales mission and connect with our partners from Ireland. The participation of these influential travel professionals is a strong indication that interest in visiting Ireland remains high. Our message is that we cannot wait to roll out the green carpet and welcome their clients back for a fantastic holiday experience.'"

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