Tourism Ireland in France has launched its marketing plans for 2016, at an event in Paris attended by 40 leading French tour operators and travel journalists. France is one of the top four markets for tourism to the island of Ireland and 2015 was the third record-breaking year in a row for French visitors to Ireland. In fact, last year we welcomed more than half a million French visitors for the first time ever. In 2016, Tourism Ireland aims to grow French visitors numbers by +5%.
Building on last year’s success and sustaining growth into the future is at the heart of the organisation’s strategy. A key factor working in our favour includes improved access, with a +5% increase in airline seats for summer 2016 and flights from 25 different French airports to the island of Ireland, as well as excellent ferry connections. Tourism Ireland will continue to target three key audiences in France: ‘culturally curious’, ‘great escapers’ and ‘social energisers’. Major promotional themes will include our spectacular coastal routes, including the Wild Atlantic Way and the Causeway Coastal Route; living historical stories and Ireland’s Ancient East; as well as city breaks to Dublin and Belfast.
The organisation will undertake a targeted programme of promotions to reach its key audiences through TV advertising (reaching about 15 million potential French holidaymakers), digital advertising and co-operative activity with partners (e.g. radio ads with Irish Ferries and Transavia and print ads with Aer Lingus, Brittany Ferries and Ryanair). In 2016, Tourism Ireland will continue to leverage its strength in digital and social media; the organisation now has more than 162,000 French Facebook fans (3.4 million worldwide) and about 4,600 followers on Twitter.
Tourism Ireland will also ramp up its publicity programme in France – placing increased focus on digital channels and working more closely with online media, including bloggers. Top French tour operators and travel agents, as well as business tourism buyers, will be targeted through sales blitzes, workshops, familiarisation visits to Ireland and a major presence at IFTM (International French Travel Market).
Source:- Tourism Ireland
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