TOURISM Ireland, the official overseas marketing office for Ireland and Northern Ireland, reinforced its commitment to the region by announcing the opening of a new regional hub for the Middle East and Asia in Abu Dhabi.
The country aims to attract at least 20,000 visitors from the region by 2012-2013, and currently receives about 10,000 to 12,000 visitors from the UAE per year. UAE and Saudi Arabia are their key source markets.
Tourism Ireland participated in the recent Arabian Travel Market 2009 along with six Irish industry partners - tour operators Abbey Tours and Adams & Butler; the accommodation group Countrywide Hotels Ireland; Dublin Tourism; and hotel groups Starwood Hotels with the Westin Hotel in Dublin and the Ritz Carlton Powerscourt in County Wicklow.
Countrywide Hotels Ireland features over almost 450 properties throughout Ireland including hotels, inns, B&Bs and self catering accommodation. A recent announcement was the creation of a hostels brand for 2010, and an online reservations website which will soon be activatedm, with the intention of having the bulk of the product online for 2010.
Abbey Tours focuses exclusively on bringing visitors from overseas to Ireland. With Ireland now starting to become recognised in the Middle East, the company aims to deliver quality service in terms of ground arrangements for their Arab guests to the Emerald Isle.
In 2007 the company reached a major landmark when they brought over 100,000 visitors to Ireland. Abbey Tours operates three specialist divisions from its City Gate offices inDublin. It caters for the leisure tourism market, both group tours and online services; while Abbey Conference & Corporate offers the full range of services for national and international conferences in Ireland; and Abbey Events, a destination management company, handles incentive travel arrangements and special events.
The Ritz Carlton Powerscourt luxury hotel is located on the doorstep of Dublin, and makes an ideal venue for holding corporate events due to its proximity to Dublin airport. According to Tareq Bagaeen, director of sales, the hotel, barely 18 months old, is in itself a mini destination within a destination. It has beautiful gardens, a golf club and luxurious spacious suites.
“We offer luxury for a fantastic value for money,” he said. The majority of the hotels guests are still largely from the UK and US market, with European guests predominantly from the weekend leisure sector.
Yvonne Donohue, director of sales and marketing for the Westin Dublin said, “The importance of the Middle Eastern market to Ireland has grown significantly over the last few years with airlift from the region direct to Dublin opening up the market for Middle Eastern travellers. As one of Dublin’s finest hotels, The Westin Dublin has already become an extremely popular choice for guests visiting Dublin from the Middle East.”
Tourism Ireland is particularly keen to encourage the travel trade to push Ireland this year as an exhilarating change from the already popular destinations.
‘People are looking for new places, new experiences, and new memories,’ said Aiveen Ryan, Tourism Ireland GCC account manager. And Ireland is the ideal destination to create those everlasting family holiday memories or have that next business meeting/incentive trip.
The cool temperate climate, lush green landscapes, vibrant animated cities, quaint rural villages, splendid variety of accommodation options, renowned golf, and inspiring culture make a trip to Ireland an experience that everyone will want to enjoy. Add in the legendary warmth of the Irish welcome, the peace and serenity of the countryside, wholesome, locally sourced food and a real commitment to quality and service, and you have the perfect package: a delightful experience that will leave you satisfied and enriched.
The Dublin Convention Bureau in conjunction with Tourism Ireland is also looking to establish Ireland as a destination for Middle East meetings and business traffic. Ireland’s first purpose built convention centre Convention Centre Dublin, set to open September, 2010, will be a further boost to Ireland’s meetings offering.
By Shalu Chandran