Tourism Ireland launches 2024 marketing plan (NI version)
Target to increase overseas tourism revenue for Northern Ireland by average +6.5% year on year to 2030
Tourism Ireland today launched details of its marketing strategy and plans to promote Northern Ireland overseas in 2024, at an event attended by hundreds of tourism industry leaders from around Northern Ireland.
Tourism Ireland aims to increase the economic value of overseas tourism to Northern Ireland, growing revenue by an average +6.5% per year over the next six years to 2030.
This year, Tourism Ireland will roll out an extensive and targeted programme of activity with a marketing budget of £61 million.
Tourism Ireland believes that 2024 offers significant opportunity for overseas tourism. Northern Ireland has an award-winning tourism product, a committed industry and there are excellent relationships in place with the international travel trade. There are opportunities to grow revenue, especially outside of the peak season when there is capacity ready to be filled. And there are lots of exciting and inspiring stories to tell potential overseas visitors – particularly about off-season events such as Halloween, which originated on the island of Ireland around 2,000 years ago.
Tourism Ireland will play a vital role in 2024 to meet these opportunities. Using data-driven marketing, the organisation will remain nimble, serving the right message to the right audience at the right time – thus stimulating demand from high value overseas tourists and matching demand to supply. Tourism Ireland will focus on tourists with ‘value adding tourism traits’ i.e., those people who have funds to travel, who prize memorable experiences and tend to travel around regions and across seasons.
Alice Mansergh, Chief Executive Designate of Tourism Ireland, said:“2023 was the first full year of trading for tourism since the pandemic. Tourism Ireland was active throughout the year, with an extensive and targeted programme of activity marketing Northern Ireland around the world.
“In 2024, our aim is to increase the value of overseas tourism to Northern Ireland, sustainably supporting economies, communities and the environment. We will do so by inspiring overseas visitors and strengthening strategic partnerships. Our message is that Northern Ireland and the island of Ireland have so much to offer across regions and seasons. We will be showcasing iconic reasons to travel here, expanding people’s bucket lists from best-known spots to our hidden gems. It’s an exciting year ahead, particularly with Belfast 2024 providing Tourism Ireland with another great hook to promote Northern Ireland.
“Whilst there is positive trading post-Covid, we know the recovery in our industry is not evenly spread and tourism continues to face headwinds. Tourism Ireland will remain flexible and agile to face the changing environment of the future. We will work to mitigate any challenges as we shape demand to fill available capacity across the island and throughout the year. Through enhanced consumer targeting and messaging, we will win the hearts and minds of potential overseas visitors and grow the value of overseas tourism.
“Our strong partnership with Tourism NI and Fáilte Ireland is foundational, pairing product development with our overseas marketing and collaborating on key projects and activities like Home of Halloween, Business Events and sustainability certification.”
Alice Mansergh, Chief Executive Designate of Tourism Ireland, at the launch of Tourism Ireland’s 2024 marketing plan in Belfast.
Notes to Editors:
- Tourism Ireland’s activity to inspire overseas holidaymakers to visit Northern Ireland in 2024 will include:
- Tourism Ireland’s ‘Fill your heart with Ireland’ campaign will be expanded and will focus on passion points (e.g., built heritage, soft adventure, views and landscapes). The campaign will run on TV, video-on-demand, social media, outdoor and in print media and will be reflected across Tourism Ireland’s international website, Ireland.com.
- Publicity activity will continue to focus on regional and seasonal messaging and on delivering ‘opportunities to see’ in top international media outlets.
- Tourism Ireland’s International Programming Fund will continue to invest in long-form content that promotes Northern Ireland and the island of Ireland.
- A greater focus on driving potential visitors towards Ireland.com will lead to an increased number of consumers utilising the site for research. The website’s ability to cross-sell different aspects of a visit, particularly hidden gems, will be enhanced.
- Tourism Ireland will encourage regional spread and build seasonal landmark moments. Activity will include a St Patrick’s Day campaign and a significant investment in the organisation’s Home of Halloween campaign.
- Tourism Ireland will continue to connect Northern Ireland tourism operators with overseas travel trade and consumers – via overseas sales platforms, co-operative campaigns and Business Events promotion.
- Media and travel trade familiarisation visits will focus on our regions and seasonal messaging.
- 2024 will be an important year for golf, as we prepare for The Open at Royal Portrush in 2025.
- Tourism Ireland will help put tourism businesses from across the island on the global stage – facilitating 25,000 meetings, including 6,000 Business Events meetings and 4,000 golf and luxury tourism meetings, for 250 industry partners from Northern Ireland.
- In 2024, Tourism Ireland will take over the management and operation of the three major international MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) events: IMEX Frankfurt, IMEX Las Vegas and IBTM in Barcelona.
- Tourism Ireland will work with Tourism NI and Fáilte Ireland on the roll-out of an umbrella certification scheme to promote sustainable travel. Tourism Ireland will play an important role in the development of the international consumer messaging and branding of the scheme.