Derry to be put on the global tourism map in 2020 marketing drive
Tourism Ireland has launched details of its new three-year strategy for 2020-2022 and its marketing plans to promote the North of Ireland overseas next year.
The aim is to grow overseas tourism revenue to £658 million (+15%) and visitor numbers to 2.57 million (+13%), by 2022.
And one part of the marketing drive is to encourage overseas visitors to take in the beauty of Walled City Derry and and all the city has to offer including its history, culture, local hostelries, hospitality and the friendliness of the local people.
What better way to sell the city to the masses than to showcase its Derry Halloween Carnival Festival which attracted crowds of around 80,000 people on Halloween night.
The 2020-2022 strategy has been designed to be both flexible and sustainable – while delivering further growth in overseas tourism and supporting the industry across Northern Ireland.
Musicians, dancers, street acts and performers led the festival’s closing parade
In 2020, Tourism Ireland will roll out the new destination brand for the North of reland – Embrace a Giant Spirit – around the world.
An extensive programme of trade, media and consumer communications will be rolled out in all of our main markets, giving Northern Ireland ‘stand-out’ on the international stage.
Tourism Ireland will also continue to leverage the legacy of this summer’s hugely successful Open at Royal Portrush, reminding golfers everywhere about our world-class golf.
Phase two of Tourism Ireland’s global campaign – ‘Fill Your Heart With Ireland’ – was revealed at Friday’s launch.
As in phase one of the campaign, the new ad features less visited attractions and locations (including the walled City of Derry, Hillsborough Castle, Ballycastle, and Rathlin Island).
From January 2020, the ‘Fill Your Heart With Ireland’ campaign will be rolled out in over 20 markets around the globe.
The period 2020-2022 will see Tourism Ireland transform its digital platforms and re-develop its entire suite of Ireland.com websites – which attracted more than 23 million visits this year – to ensure its digital marketing continues to be ‘best in class’ in the 2020s.
It will use big data and artificial intelligence to reach potential visitors; this new technology will also allow Tourism Ireland to re-target visitors and potential visitors with personalised messages and offers, designed to appeal to their specific interests.
The Halloween festival ended with fireworks over the River Foyle
2019 is set to be another record year for overseas tourism to Northern Ireland. Latest estimates indicate that, by year end, around 2.265 million people will have visited the North of Ireland, representing a +2% increase over 2018.
Revenue generated by international visitors is expected to be £570 million, also a +2% increase over last year, helping to sustain around 65,000 valuable jobs in communities across the North of Ireland.
“2019 is set to be another record year for overseas tourism to Northern Ireland,” said Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland.
“Throughout the year, Tourism Ireland undertook a packed programme of promotions, to bring Northern Ireland to the attention of travellers everywhere.
“Tourism Ireland pulled out all the stops to leverage the opportunities presented by the final series of Game of Thrones, as well as the superb 148th Open at Royal Portrush.
“Thousands of opportunities were created for potential visitors around the world to read, hear or watch positive messages about Northern Ireland; Tourism Ireland estimates that this media exposure is worth an estimated £157 million in equivalent advertising value.”
2020-2022
2020 will undoubtedly present some challenges – not least the ongoing uncertainty around Brexit, which is likely to continue to impact on consumer confidence and, in turn, on travel from GB and some Mainland European markets.
Other challenges may include economic and geo-political uncertainty, as well as constraints on the availability of aircraft (particularly relating to the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX).
While recognising the various risks and challenges, Tourism Ireland believes that growth in overseas tourism can be achieved. By 2022, the aim is to grow overseas tourism revenue to £658 million (+15%) and visitor numbers to 2.57 million (+13%).
“We’re delighted to roll out ‘Northern Ireland – Embrace A Giant Spirit’ in our key markets around the world in 2020, through an extensive programme of trade, media and consumer communications,” said Niall Gibbons.
“It’s a really exciting time for Northern Ireland tourism and this new brand presents us with an excellent opportunity to get real ‘stand-out’ for Northern Ireland on the international stage.
Derry’s historic walls will be seen around the world in 2020 marketing tourism drive
“Looking to 2020 and beyond, it is not enough to simply target growth at all costs and our new, three-year strategy is built on a set of sustainable destination marketing principles.
“These principles will underpin all of Tourism Ireland’s activities and are reflected in our renewed emphasis on driving business beyond the cities and established tourism ‘honeypots’ and ensuring the benefits of tourism growth are distributed right around Northern Ireland, on a year-round basis.
“By applying these principles and through working with our partners on wider sustainability issues, we are confident that overseas tourism will help communities to prosper, while our overseas visitors continue to enjoy a great holiday experience.”
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