Tourism Ireland today launched details of its marketing plans to promote Ireland overseas in 2015 and beyond.
The organisation said it is aiming to build on this year’s growth in overseas tourism and to welcome 7.74 million visitors to Ireland in 2015 - surpassing the previous record year of 2007.
This figure will represent growth of six per cent over 2014 and deliver almost €4 billion to the Irish economy (up seven per cent) next year.
In the longer-term, the aim is to welcome some 10 million visitors to Ireland in 2025, contributing €5 billion to the economy and helping to sustain about 250,000 jobs, said Tourism Ireland.
New TV ads – part of Tourism Ireland’s global advertising campaign, ‘Jump into Ireland’ – were also unveiled. The ads will launch in January 2015 in 22 markets around the world – on television, in cinema and online.
Building on this year’s success and sustaining growth into the future is at the heart of Tourism Ireland’s strategy in 2015. The plans will see Tourism Ireland prioritise those markets that offer the best return on investment, in terms of holiday visitors and revenue i.e. Britain, North America and Mainland Europe.
Ireland’s ‘best prospect’ visitors will be targeted more closely – with distinctive holiday experiences, events and special offers tailored to their interests and designed to trigger their ‘must go now’ impulses. Emerging markets of high potential will also be targeted, particularly China and India, where Tourism Ireland will highlight the new British-Irish Visa Scheme.