The Athlone Tea Rooms, Belvedere House and Gardens, Mullingar, and cruising on the river Shannon are among the Westmeath attractions to be highlighted in a new advertising campaign launched by Tourism Ireland last week.
The campaign also features Sean’s Bar on Athlone’s west side, the historical site of Clonmacnoise, and the Shannonbridge Bog Railway, in spite of the fact that the closure of the Shannonbridge attraction is imminent.
The sites will feature on novel ‘infinity maps’ which use computer-generated imagery based on real photography to highlight routes across the country. The Dublin to Galway route and the Shannon to Dublin routes feature landmarks, attractions, and activities from across the Midlands, while the remaining routes take in Cork to Wexford, Westport to Derry, and Belfast to the Giant’s Causeway.
The maps form part of a €47 million global tourism marketing campaign being undertaken by Tourism Ireland to promote the island of Ireland overseas in 2009. The novel ‘infinity maps’ are a first for a tourism agency worldwide and show multiple images or ‘icons’ from around the island of Ireland offering the potential visitor many compelling reasons to visit.
The strategy was launched by Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Martin Cullen, and details of a new three-year global advertising campaign ‘Go Where Ireland Takes You’ were also previewed at the event. This new campaign, which will launch early next year overseas, will include TV, press, and online advertising.
“Ireland really does have a unique offering – one rooted in its sense of place and its people,” said Martin Cullen Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, speaking at the launch. “If we package, promote, and deliver it to best effect, we can win business in 2009. The Government, in the recent budget, consolidated its commitment to tourism by allocating just over €160 million in 2009, and €47 million will be spent on the marketing strategy we are launching today...It will mean that Tourism Ireland will be out there, marketing and actively working with the industry on programmes to win business now. Experience has shown that maintaining marketing spend in difficult times can position Ireland for a faster recovery.”
Chief executive of Tourism Ireland, Paul O’Toole, said: “2008 has presented us with some of the most challenging trading conditions in years. We expect the out turn for 2008 to be lower than 2007 but slightly ahead of the 2006 performance due to the weak and unstable economic conditions in most of our source markets.”
Commenting on the year ahead, Mr O’Toole said that “all indicators point to a more difficult year in 2009 due to the general weakening in global economies. While the outlook may appear tough, it is important to recognise that many people around the world will still want to take holidays. We will be working to ensure that the island of Ireland gets its fair share of that business. Irish tourism has always punched above its weight when faced with major challenges in the past”.
A continuing priority for Tourism Ireland in 2009 will be to help drive tourism business to the regions. As well as core marketing activities of the regions, Tourism Ireland, in co-operation with Fáilte Ireland, Shannon Development, and Dublin Tourism, will continue to implement specific ‘Super Region’ campaigns in 2009 promoting the West, Lakelands, and the East Coast.
