Tourism Ireland looks to capitilise on Queen and Obama visits
Tourism Ireland has launched major marketing drives in Britain and the United States to capitalise on the visits to Ireland this month by Queen Elizabeth II and President Obama.
The organisation estimates that the visits will generate up to €150m in positive publicity worldwide.
It said its promotional programme and publicity drive are being stepped up considerably, before, during and after the visits.
Film footage has been commissioned of the various locations on the itineraries, which is being distributed to media in Britain and all over the US. This covers the sites being visited, landscape and scenery, culture and heritage, as well as themes like Irish food, equestrian Ireland, genealogy, Dublin, Kildare, Cashel, Cork, Moneygall (lakes, angling, cruising), Thurles (home of the GAA) and Roscrea heritage town etc.
Key travel and lifestyle media contacts have been invited by the organisation to visit the various locations on the itineraries, before and after the visits. A series of itineraries has been developed reflecting the routes of the visits and themes like UNESCO City of Literature, most visited attractions, equestrian Ireland, and food and gourmet Ireland.
“Up to 1,000 journalists from Great Britain, the US and elsewhere are expected to be in Ireland to cover the visits, beaming the island of Ireland directly into the homes of millions of potential visitors around the world,” said Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland. “We are working flat out to exploit this unique opportunity to highlight Ireland as a wonderful holiday destination, not only in Great Britain and the US, but in other markets around the world.”
Promotional activity in Britain, which is Ireland’s largest tourism market, includes an integrated TV, radio and online campaign. TV ads will air on key UK channels next week to coincide with the visit of Queen Elizabeth II. Over five million radio listeners around Britain will hear Tourism Ireland’s new radio campaign, featuring some of the main locations on the royal itinerary.
Meanwhile, interviews with journalist and commentator Mary Kenny have been airing on BBC and other radio stations throughout Britain all this week. And a special tourism supplement will appear with The Times on Saturday, 28 May.
In the US, Tourism Ireland will issue a media news release to 2,000 broadcast and online media, with video footage embedded featuring an interview with genealogist Fiona Fitzsimmon who has researched President Obama’s ancestral heritage in Moneygall.
Interviews with other Ireland-based genealogists and historians will also be made available to US radio stations. Online ads targeting the Irish diaspora will run on key websites including IrishCentral.com. Full-page ads in Irish-related publications such as Irish Echo and Irish America will be supported by advertorials with literary and genealogy themes. A special, four-page cover wrap on AM New York on 23 May will highlight the presidential visit.