Representatives from Tourism Ireland and Northern Ireland’s leading tourism attractions – the Giant’s Causeway and Titanic Belfast are participating in the Northern Ireland Sales Mission in New Delhi and Mumbai.
The objective of the mission is to showcase the destination to key travel trade in India and to create further awareness of Northern Ireland’s tourism products and offerings. The programme for the showcase will include presentations by Tourism Ireland and the participating suppliers in addition to Q&A and a networking session.
Aubrey Irwin, Head of Northern Ireland, Tourism Ireland said, “The Northern Ireland Sales Mission in India will help travel agents package Northern Ireland products better and sell more confidently. India is an important market for tourism to Northern Ireland and the island of Ireland and 2016 looks set to be another good year for Indian visitors. A holiday in Northern Ireland offers the perfect combination of great events, stunning scenery and our unique brand of hospitality and this is reflected in the growing number of Indian visitors to Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland celebrates a Year of Food and Drink in 2016. Considered as one of Europe’s best kept secret foodie destinations, Northern Ireland’s epic landscapes, traditions and people make its food heritage very unique and all through 2016, Northern Ireland will host special foodie events, festivals, money-off deals, pop-up restaurants, unique tastings, cookery class and food trails galore.”
Eimear Lewis, Titanic Belfast said, “We are delighted that so many key Indian travel agents and tour operators have taken the time to meet with us and to learn about the superb tourism offerings of Northern Ireland and in particular our tourism experience, the Titanic Belfast, the World’s Largest Titanic Visitor Experience. The unique and iconic structure of the Titanic Belfast gives visitors the opportunity to look behind the scenes and marvel at the scale of Belfast’s innovation and industry, but seeks to dispel some of the myths and legends about the tragedy and we are confident that we will see the number of Indian visitors continue to rise over the coming years.
Beena Menon and Huzan Fraser Motivala, India Representatives, Tourism Ireland added, “As a part of our marketing strategy for 2016 to boost the overall number of Indian travellers, we are excited about conducting these showcases in our primary Indian target markets of Mumbai and Delhi. Through this showcase, we will also disseminate the message of the British Irish Visa Scheme through which Indian travellers can now visit Ireland and the United Kingdom on a single visa.”
Additionally, in 2016, Tourism Ireland will also focus on increasing the knowledge and experience of the island of Ireland among the travel trade through familiarisation trips, workshops and seminars for frontline staff as well as the Ireland Specialists online travel trade training programme.