Tourism Ireland

We welcome this week’s announcement of up to €23 million in government funding from the Department of the Taoiseach, under the Shared Island Fund, with initiatives across three regions – Cuilcagh Lakelands UNESCO Global Geopark (Cavan and Fermanagh), Carlingford Lough (Louth and Down) and Sliabh Beagh (Monaghan, Tyrone and Fermanagh) – set to receive funding. Tourism Ireland will be promoting visitor experiences that are developed through Shared Island investment to attract overseas visitors to our regions. 

A busy week on the US West Coast as I embark on my first Tourism and Trade Mission since taking over the tourism portfolio. Tourism is and will continue to be an incredibly important industry for the island of Ireland, an industry that sustains our communities and drives development in our regions. Placing tourism within the Department of Enterprise makes a lot of sense, and I am really looking forward to getting to work and seeing what more we can do to develop and market our unique offering. I can see first-hand this week there is huge demand across the Western area of the USA, with 1.4 million US tourists travelling to Ireland last year, and 27% of these coming from the western region. I also took the chance while here to meet Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland clients including Agilent Technologies Salesforce and Workday, acknowledging the key contribution they make to the Irish economy. With thanks to key partners and colleagues in Tourism Ireland IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland for a hugely positive and valuable programme.

📣 Join Tourism Ireland’s virtual industry update to hear what compels overseas visitors to choose the island of Ireland! Our latest programme of research was commissioned to understand the current views of consumers regarding international travel and what would compel them to choose the island of Ireland. We partnered with RED C to conduct an online survey among thousands of potential holidaymakers in Great Britain, the United States, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Canada and, for the first time, Australia. Date: Friday 7th March 2025 Time: 10:00 – 10:45 Register here by Thursday 6th March: https://lnkd.in/eVkFRMa2

Did you know Lough Erne in Co Fermanagh is home to over 150 islands? Each island is a world of its own, from ancient monastic sites to little-known hideaways, making Lough Erne the perfect spot for anyone with a sense of adventure. And the best part? The views are pure magic. 😍 📍 Lough Erne, Co Fermanagh 📸 Instagram: travelswithricky

Around 625 commercial meetings are taking place today at our annual Nordic trade workshop in Copenhagen. 25 tourism companies from the island of Ireland are meeting and doing business with 40 top tour operators and travel agents from Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. It's a great opportunity to remind the Nordic travel professionals all about the many great things to see and do around the island of Ireland – including our great food and drink offering, fantastic accommodation options, attractions and outdoor experiences. #TourismIreland

Ireland West Airport is a vital gateway, providing direct air access for overseas visitors from Great Britain and Europe to the Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland's Hidden Heartlands. Servicing over 18% of Ireland's population, Ireland West Airport is celebrating a 15% increase in seat capacity in 2025. Thanks to Donal Healy and Clodagh Cronolly for their warm welcome and valuable insights. Together with Cormac O Suilleabhain, I look forward to collaborating with the Ireland West Airport team in 2025 and beyond to support both existing and new route development - ensuring continued success for this key regional gateway to the island of Ireland. Tourism Ireland

☘️ An insightful presentation from Siobhán Mc Manamy, Director of Markets & Partnerships Tourism Ireland, at our first Business Breakfast of the year this morning. Siobhán spoke about Tourism Ireland's marketing plans for 2025, outlining some of the key initiatives underway across the country to grow inbound tourism this year. Tourism Ireland is committed to driving sustainable growth in tourism, creating jobs and new opportunities while supporting our communities and the wider Irish economy. This morning, we also heard from Stephanie Murray, Nordan Properties and Alicia Mateos Cárdenas, PhD, REEValue EU Project who gave an outline of their work in our first two Business Breakfast Soapboxes of 2025. Thanks to #CCBreakfast sponsor RDJ LLP and media partner Irish Examiner.

I'm delighted to be in San Francisco with Ireland's Minister for Enterprise Tourism and Employment Peter Burke. The Minister joins Tourism Ireland and partners on our West Coast sales mission. In 2024, visitors from North America increased trips, nights and spend on the island of Ireland, bringing over 2.2B Euros to the economy. About a quarter of all visitors come from the West Coast, helped by direct routes from Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles. As discussed today, air access is a vital enabler for tourism to our island. I am hugely grateful to Minister Peter Burke for his commitment to tourism as an economic driver and regional employer island-wide. We were delighted to have his support as he addressed travel trade today in the #SanFranciscoGiants stadium, alongside partners from airlines, press, attractions, hotels, tour operators and travel agencies, teeing up inspiration to visit the island and strong business ties for the future. Thanks to Minister Burke and team, to all our partners as well as Alison, Barbara and our talented Tourism Ireland team based in San Francisco. #tourismireland #tourismisteamwork

Thatched cottages? Check. A harbour steeped in history? Check. Cliff paths that make you stop and stare? Triple check. Dunmore East has everything you need for a spring day out. ⚓️ This fishing village in Co Waterford has been around since the 1800s and it’s easy to see why it’s stuck around. Explore, kayak or just grab a fresh catch by the harbour. Whatever you do, it’s going to be one for the books. 📍 Dunmore East, Co Waterford 📸 Instagram: veru_inireland

We’re delighted to join forces with one of our key German travel partners, Wolters Rundreisen, to invite a group of influential German content creators on a fact-finding visit to Northern Ireland and Donegal this week. Here they are at Malin Head, Game of Thrones Studio Tour and the Giant's Causeway. With a combined reach of around 700,000 followers, the digital creators will share highlights of their trip to inspire their travel-enthusiast followers on Instagram and TikTok. We look forward to seeing the content they create and share, highlighting some of our ‘must-see’ locations and experiences to inspire their German followers to put Northern Ireland and Donegal at the top of their holiday wish list for 2025! #TourismIreland #WoltersRundreisen