Ireland West Airport is stepping up its efforts to boost tourism in the west of Ireland.
Joining forces with airline Flybe and Tourism Ireland, the airport has launched a major €250,000 overseas campaign to grow tourist numbers to the west.
It is promoting flights to Knock from Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh for the next two months, using the press, online and social media channels. The first phase of the campaign is expected to be viewed by more than 13 million people, highlighting the airport as the central gateway to the Wild Atlantic Way.
Joe Gilmore, managing director of Ireland West Airport, says it is the biggest promotional campaign the airport has undertaken in recent years.
“Flybe have been a long standing partner of the airport and the commencement of its new services earlier this year from Birmingham and Edinburgh have been a major boost for the west and northwest of Ireland, as has the long standing Manchester service.
“We are delighted to see great exposure for the Galway region throughout this campaign, highlighting some of the wonderful attractions and activities available for tourists within a 60 minute drive of the airport when they come to the west.”
Julie Wakely, Tourism Ireland’s deputy head of Great Britain, says Great Britain is the largest market for tourism to the island of Ireland.
“As an island, the importance of convenient, direct, non-stop flights cannot be overstated – they are absolutely critical to achieving growth in inbound tourism. We have seen excellent growth in British visitor numbers so far again this year, with the most recent CSO figures for January to June showing a +16 per cent increase. We will continue to roll out an extensive programme of promotions in Britain this autumn, to keep the momentum going and boost business in the shoulder and off-peak season.”
The campaign includes online coverage in the Daily Record in Scotland titled ‘Nine exciting things to do along the Wild Atlantic Way’ and online coverage in the Birmingham Mail and the Manchester Evening News titled ‘Nine fun and exciting things to do along west Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way’. It also includes online adverts on key websites aimed at reaching key ‘culturally curious’ and ‘great escaper’ audiences.
