Tourism Ireland board meets in Co Westmeath

Glasson Lakehouse was the venue for the September board meeting of Tourism Ireland, which took place today (Thursday, 7 September). The board members took the opportunity to meet with representatives of the local tourism industry, to discuss overseas tourism to the island of Ireland this year and the extensive promotional programme that Tourism Ireland is undertaking to highlight Co Westmeath and Ireland around the world in 2023.

Speaking after the board meeting, Siobhan McManamy, Interim Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland, said: “We were delighted to be in Co Westmeath for this month’s board meeting and to have the chance to meet with representatives of the local tourism industry and to hear directly about their business. It also gave us the opportunity to discuss overseas tourism in 2023 and the extensive programme of promotional activity which Tourism Ireland is undertaking around the world, to highlight Co Westmeath and Ireland to prospective visitors.”

Co Westmeath features prominently on Tourism Ireland’s international website, Ireland.com, which attracted more than 12.2 million unique views in 2022. Co Westmeath’s scenery and attractions are also highlighted on Tourism Ireland’s social media platforms, including Facebook (Tourism Ireland has around 4.7 million fans worldwide), Instagram (over 1.1 million followers), Twitter (around 563,000 followers) and YouTube. 

In 2022, Tourism Ireland generated positive publicity in international media outlets for Co Westmeath worth over €8 million (in equivalent advertising value) – through its programme of media visits, press releases, ezines and in-market media events.

Tourism Ireland is continuing its ‘twinning’ initiative this year, which involves each overseas market ‘twinning with’ a specific region or area in Ireland – placing a special focus on the area. Switzerland and Austria are twinned with Westmeath.