At the same time, a series of themed promotions will highlight aspects of our creativity that can give the island of Ireland ‘stand-out’ in this most competitive market:
• “Celebrated in Ireland” – highlighting festivals and events across the island
• “Played in Ireland” – showcasing our sport – currently, the Six Nations Rugby, and later in the year Gaelic football, hurling and camogie
• “Grown in Ireland” – focusing on our food, flora and fauna
• “Built in Ireland” – covering icons from Dún Aengus to the Walled City of Londonderry, Titanic to Georgian Dublin, will be promoted through an intensive publicity and direct marketing campaign to GB trade and consumers.
• “Composed in Ireland” – highlighting Irish music and musicians on Spotify, the music download site. Tourism Ireland will also be supporting the new Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann tour in Britain and has already worked with The Priests, who come from Co Down, and with Celtic Connections, Scotland’s largest winter music festival, to reflect a wide and attractive range of music from this island.
• “Danced in Ireland” – will see Tourism Ireland piggybacking on the new Riverdance nine-venue GB tour and maximising exposure around the World Irish Dance Championships in Glasgow at the end of March.
• “Born in Ireland” – Tourism Ireland is working with the organisers of the big ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ show at Olympia in London, later this month, targeting those interested in tracing their ancestry and maximising the impact of online access to our genealogical records.
• “Written in Ireland” – a promotion at the Scottish StAnza Poetry Festival in St Andrews, highlighting the work of Irish poets like Séamus Heaney, Dennis O’Driscoll, Cahal Dallat and others; and at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh showcasing one of our cultural strengths.
• Best of Ireland and Britian Show - Up to 80 island of Ireland tourism industry partners will present to more than 25,000 potential GB visitors at this high-profile show at London’s Olympia on St Patrick’s and subsequent days. The programme also includes a Tourism Ireland promotion to 200 influential group and coach travel operators on St Patrick’s night.
• Schools Art Competition - Tourism Ireland is working with the Greater London Authority (GLA) and the Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith to run a competition for school students to portray their image of the island of Ireland through drawing, painting or sculpture.
• Magic FM Drivetime Promotion - Tourism Ireland‘s three-month deal with one of Britain’s most successful commercial radio stations, Magic FM, has seen Ronan Keating getting behind the drive to attract British visitors in 2010. Quirky holiday ideas, travel information and competitions for holiday prizes are promoted each Sunday afternoon alongside Ronan’s favourite music and chat, both on air and on the station’s website. The promotion is being stepped up in the run up to St Patrick’s Day with additional slots on morning and evening drivetime shows, alerting listeners to the railway station promotions where they could win a visit to Belfast or Dublin and a chance to meet Ronan in person with Tourism Ireland.
