Tourism Minister Catherine Martin will visit Chicago and New York this week to promote Ireland in the United States.
She will undertake a busy programme of tourism, sporting and cultural engagements during her trip.
This will be the first major in-person series of promotional events undertaken by Tourism Ireland in the United States, since the outbreak of COVID-19. The aim of the visit is to position us well for 2022 and to create a ‘stand-out’ for Ireland against competitor destinations.
Over the coming days, Minister Martin’s schedule will include:
- business roundtable lunches with leading travel trade, carrier and media contacts in Chicago and New York
- Promoting Ireland at the Ryder Cup 2020 at Whistling Straits
- Meetings with the organisers of the annual Milwaukee Irish Fest, as well as with representatives of Notre Dame Athletics and the Notre Dame Institute for Irish Studies
- A meeting with Tourism Ireland’s Marketing Partnership Group, who are key representatives of the US travel sector
- Meeting with Irish artists at the Irish Arts Center in New York
- A programme of interviews with travel, sport and Diaspora media outlets in Chicago and New York.
Minister for Tourism Catherine Martin TD, said: “I am very pleased to come to the US this week to lend my support to Tourism Ireland’s efforts to get tourism going again from the United States into Ireland. My schedule includes key engagements with the travel trade, airline interests and the media as we thankfully roll out the green carpet for US tourists once more.”
“My message this week will be that we are open for business and looking forward to welcoming Americans back to Ireland. Now that our economy and society has reopened, it is opportune to show Americans what they have been missing.”
The United States is the second-largest source market for tourism to the island of Ireland. In 2019, over 1.7 million American visitors came to the island of Ireland. Revenue generated by American visitors in 2019 was €1.6 billion.
Tourism Ireland’s ‘Green Button’ campaign will go live in the US on 27 September, to re-start tourism and encourage Americans to book Ireland as their next holiday destination.
