Representatives of the Castlebar Municipal District and Mayo County Council, who are in New York for the St Patrick’s Day period, met senior executives from Tourism Ireland in New York this week. They were briefed on Tourism Ireland’s extensive promotional programme for 2017, which is in full swing right now.
Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s head of North America, said: “We were delighted to meet with the representatives of the Castlebar Municipal District and Mayo County Council and to have the opportunity to brief them about the extensive promotional programme we are undertaking in the United States this year. Our ambition is to surpass the record-breaking performance of 2016 and to deliver a nine per cent increase in revenue and a six per cent increase in visitor numbers from North America in 2017.
“St Patrick’s Day traditionally marks the real start of the tourism season for us; our aim is to bring a smile to the faces of people everywhere and to convey the message that Ireland offers the warmest of welcomes and great fun, as well as wonderful scenery and heritage. We are using every opportunity to capitalise on Ireland’s heightened profile this week; the saturation coverage about Ireland at this time of year – across the airwaves, in newspapers and digital media – is an invaluable boost for our overall tourism marketing drive in 2017.”
