Tourism Ireland in the United States has unveiled its marketing plans for 2022 – at an event in New York attended by leading tour operators, travel agents and journalists from the tri-State area.
Guests also attended the premiere of an exciting new giant-screen documentary film, called ‘Ireland’, at the AMC Lincoln Square IMAX Theatre. Narrated by Liam Neeson, the film was produced by MacGillivray Freeman Films of which Tourism Ireland is the global presenting partner. ‘Ireland’ celebrates our rich history, culture, arts and music, as well as our spectacular scenery.
This year, Tourism Ireland will roll out its biggest ever marketing program in the United States, to restart overseas tourism to the island of Ireland. Following a difficult two years for the tourism and hospitality sector, Tourism Ireland will upweight its campaigns, aim to cut through the clutter and convert ‘lookers’ into ‘bookers’.
Tourism Ireland’s message is that Ireland is open for business again and that they cannot wait to welcome back American visitors.
Speaking at the event in New York, Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said: “As we restart overseas tourism to the island of Ireland, we are rolling out our biggest ever program of promotions in the all-important United States market this year. We know from our research that there is significant pent-up demand among travelers to return to the island of Ireland as soon as possible.
However, we also know that there is significant competition in the marketplace; every destination has experienced the impact of COVID-19 and is now seeking its share of the recovery. Our campaigns will therefore need to punch through the noise and create an immediate desire to visit.”
Tourism Ireland’s Green Button campaign is also a key attribute in the quest to encourage vacationers to choose Ireland. The campaign is running across multiple channels in key gateway cities and priority markets (including New York, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Dallas), to reach and engage audiences with the highest potential to travel to Ireland.
Green Button TV ads will be seen on air and online, on major television networks ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox, around popular shows with large audiences. Ads are also running on leading streaming services like Hulu, WarnerMedia, YouTube TV, Sling TV and Discovery+.
The TV and digital campaign will reach an estimated 92 million people and will deliver over 600 million impressions (opportunities to see) this year.
Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s Executive Vice President, North America and Australia, said: “We are rolling out our Green Button restart campaign in the United States right now – encouraging travelers to starting planning and to book their trip to the island of Ireland.
“Our extensive program of high impact campaigns and promotions is targeting those consumers with the great potential to travel to Ireland. Our message is very simple: Ireland is open for business, there is good summer air access, and we cannot wait to welcome back visitors from the United States. We’re telling prospective US visitors that a warm welcome awaits, despite the disruption of the last couple of years.”
Before COVID-19, in 2019, Ireland welcomed 1.7 million American visitors to the island of Ireland, whose visits delivered revenue of $1.9 billion for the economy.