A Taste of Portlaoise at ‘Flavours’ Event in London
Tourism organisations from around the island of Ireland – including the Killeshin Hotel – travelled to London recently to participate in Flavours of Ireland 2012. The B2B tourism workshop, organised by Tourism Ireland, saw 100 representatives of the top GB-based inbound tour operators come together to do business with 40 Irish tourism organisations.
Now in its tenth year, Flavours of Ireland is an annual event which aims to grow our share of the huge worldwide tourism market. Attended by representatives of top tour operators like Gulliver’s Travel Associates, Kuoni and JAC Travel, who are responsible for
Michelle Campion, Killeshin Hotel in Portlaoise (left), meeting with Silvana Moroncini, Transhotel, at the Flavours of Ireland 2012 workshop in London, organised by Tourism Ireland.
putting in place the arrangements for holidaymakers to GB and Ireland from all over the world, this event was an excellent opportunity for the participating Irish tourism providers to highlight their product to these important decision-makers and to encourage them to include the island of Ireland in their future holiday programmes.
It was also a fantastic opportunity to highlight ‘The Gathering Ireland 2013’ to the influential tour operators attending the event. As well as directly targeting the Diaspora and those with a connection to Ireland around the globe, Tourism Ireland is also working closely with influential tour operators and travel agents, so they will encourage their clients to come here next year to enjoy the festivals and events of ‘The Gathering’.
Jim Paul, Tourism Ireland’s head of Australia & Developing Markets, said: “Tourism Ireland is delighted that so many tourism organisations from around the island of Ireland and so many of the leading GB-based tour operators took the time to join us at our ‘Flavours’ event again this year and we very much welcome the business and networking opportunities it presented. Our aim is to increase awareness of the island of Ireland among these hugely influential tour operators and to help Ireland and our tourism partners secure a greater share of the huge worldwide tourism market.
“The Flavours of Ireland event was also a wonderful opportunity to highlight ‘The Gathering Ireland 2013’ and the fantastic programme of events planned for next year. This autumn, Tourism Ireland is undertaking an extensive programme of promotions around the world, to highlight ‘The Gathering’. We are extending an invitation to the tens of millions of people across the world who have ancestral links with Ireland to come home next year, as well as to the many others who feel linked by friendship, business or education and to those who simply hold an affection for what Ireland has given to the world. We are also calling on expatriates and those with an affinity for Ireland to get involved and organise their own ‘Gathering’ events in Ireland next year.”