2 million French to tune in to Ireland on popular travel TV show

A popular French travel TV show called Échappées Belles (meaning ‘Beautiful Escapes’) – which has around 2 million viewers per episode – has been filming at various locations in Ireland this month. Production was supported by Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland. 

The special Ireland episode will air later this year on France 5, a public TV network in France, showcasing our fantastic outdoor experiences, breathtaking landscapes and warm hospitality.  

The TV crew – including French TV presenter Jérôme Pitorin – has been filming at various locations including the Dingle Peninsula, Kerry Woollen Mills and Killarney National Park in Kerry, as well as at Westport House, Croagh Patrick and Murrisk Abbey in Mayo. In Galway, they filmed at Kylemore Abbey, Connemara National Park and a sheepdog demonstration at Killary Sheep Farm. 

Their filming itinerary also included a GAA experience in Kilkenny, paranormal filming in Kinnitty Castle Hotel in Offaly, Kinsale and Dursey Island in Cork and the Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough and the Glen of Imaal in Wicklow. 

Barbara Wood, Tourism Ireland’s Manager Southern Europe, said: “We were delighted to invite the crew from ‘Échappées Belles’ to come and film in Ireland. Around 2 million people in France are expected to watch the special Ireland episode – inspiring them to visit by shining a spotlight on our landscapes and experiences, as well as the characters which make Ireland such a great place to visit. 

“Publicity and broadcasts like this are a key element of Tourism Ireland’s programme of promotional activity, to encourage travellers in France, and elsewhere around the world, to put the island of Ireland on their holiday wish-list.”