Ten travel agents from the US, all specialising in luxury holidays, are visiting Ireland this week, as guests of Tourism Ireland, Fáilte Ireland and The Calliope Collective – a sales representation service for independent luxury hotels.
They are here to experience some of Ireland’s top luxury hotels, including Dylan Hotel, The K Club, The Europe Hotel & Resort and Dromoland Castle.
The aim of the visit is to showcase Ireland’s luxury tourism offering, so that when the travel agents return to the US, they will be better informed and more enthusiastic than ever about Ireland when advising their clients about planning and booking their holidays here.
As well as the luxury hotels, the itinerary also includes EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, Windmill Lane Recording Studios, a walking tour of Dublin, K Golf World, the Cliffs of Moher and The Burren Perfumery.
Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s Head of North America, said: “We’re delighted these travel agents took time out of their busy schedules to come and experience our luxury tourism offering – including our boutique hotels and luxury resorts – and see for themselves what Ireland has to offer their clients. Our aim is that when they return home, they will be more knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the destination, helping to secure a greater share of their business for Ireland.”
The US remains an extremely important market for tourism to the island of Ireland. In 2019, we welcomed 1.7 million American visitors, whose visits delivered €1.6bn for the economy.
