Spanish travel agents enjoyed a warm welcome to Newgrange last week as guests of Tourism Ireland and Aer Lingus. One of the highlights of their time here was a guided tour of Newgrange. They also enjoyed lunch in the Brambles Café in the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre.
The travel agents all work for Travelplan, a leading tour operator in Spain which programmes the island of Ireland for coach tours and individual travel. The aim of this week’s fact-finding visit is to familiarise the travel agents with the island of Ireland and our superb tourism offering, so that when they return home they will be even better informed to advise their clients when planning and booking their holidays.
In 2014, we welcomed 291,000 Spanish visitors to the island of Ireland, up 11% on the previous year. Spain is an important market for tourism to the island of Ireland and 2015 looks set to be another strong year for Spanish visitors, with the most recent CSO figures showing an increase of 14% for the June-August period. We are determined to ensure that growth continues. We have a really extensive autumn campaign in full swing right now – aimed at boosting late-season travel to Co Meath and Ireland from Spain. Working with travel agents and tour operators, and inviting them to come and experience what’s on offer here, is a key element of that programme. Our aim is that when they return home, the travel agents will be even more enthusiastic about the destination, helping to secure a greater share of their business for Ireland.
