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Collaboration – The Key to Growing Business Tourism

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Pictured at the Business Tourism Industry Briefing in the Aviva Stadium are Fiona O’Sullivan, Custom Ireland, Shaun Quinn, Failte Ireland and Kersten Pace, Westin Hotel.

A strong turnout of ITOA members active in Business Tourism attended the Business Tourism Industry Briefing in the Aviva Stadium.   Ireland is aiming to build on its position as a major destination in the incentive travel sector, where companies reward employees with trips abroad, and this will be a central focus for Fáilte Ireland’s Business Tourism Unit this year.

As it is felt that there is great potential for growth in the incentives space, Fáilte Ireland today announced details of a new top-level Incentive Innovation Group to focus on winning more incentive based business to Ireland.

Keith McCormack of Fáilte Ireland’s Business Tourism Unit, stressed that the incentive sector is an area of strategic importance and has the potential to generate significant revenue for the Irish economy.   The Incentive Innovation Group, with members of the industry on board, will now identify which countries present the biggest opportunities and what buyers we need to impress to get to those markets. Over the coming months the focus will be on looking at what we have, comparing it to our competitors and developing strategies unique to each market.

ITOA President Gerry Nicholls welcomed the announcement of the Incentive Innovation Group – “ITOA is delighted to see the implementation of this group and look forward to playing an active role with four ITOA member companies participating including Aspects of Ireland, A Touch of Ireland, Custom Ireland and Wallace Travel Group.  The combined experience and expertise that our members participating will bring, in collaborating with our industry colleagues on this group will we are sure deliver much needed insights and innovative thinking to revitalize the Incentive and Corporate Meeting offering that Ireland uniquely offers.”

In 2012 ITOA members handled almost 60,000 overseas business tourism visitors who spend €73 million in Ireland.

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Notre Dame vs Navy US Football Game

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A winning performance all round – Notre Dame vs Navy American Football Game

The fighting Irish came home on September 1st and had a winning performance all round!

Wherever you were on the island of Ireland in the last week of August or first week of September you were sure to meet some of the 35,000 American visitors who came to support their teams playing in the Aviva stadium on September 1st.

Some travelled for the game and a long weekend but lots of those supporters took the opportunity to holiday in Ireland in and around the match and they travelled the length and breadth of the country.  The average spend per visitor is €2,500 providing therefore almost a €90 million boost to the economy.

Gerry Nicholls President said “This underpins the importance of ‘Events’ and endorses ITOA’s long held view that targeting and supporting the right type of International Events can bring enormous dividends to the Tourism Industry and the exchequer.  These Events don’t just happen by accident and there was an enormous amount of planning over a three year period in advance of the game, that many people were not aware of.  ITOA members played a significant part in delivering the number of US visitors who came not only from the USA but from all around the globe to this Game by providing the ground arrangements and packages that were promoted over 2-3 years in advance of the event.”