Ireland Hits Record High with Canadians

Ireland is enjoying record-high visitor numbers from Canadian travellers and it wants to keep the Canucks coming, Irish Minister of State for Transport, Tourism and Sport Brendan Griffin told a group of travel industry guests at a Tourism Ireland lunch Thursday.

Canadians are in the top 10 tourist markets for Ireland, he said, with more than 200,000 people visiting in 2017, up 12% from 2016.

“We’ve broken the 200,000 mark and we want to keep growing that,” said Griffin.

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Tourism Ireland said it is “undertaking an extensive program of promotional activity” through 2018, continuing to work with airlines, travel agents and tour operators to sell Ireland as a destination that appeals to a wide range of visitors.

Ireland’s marketing campaign is even getting some help from a galaxy far, far away.

Star Wars star Mark Hamill appeared at the lunch via a clip from a recent promotional video, sharing memories of shooting Star Wars: The Last Jedi in Ireland, including on one of the Skellig Islands.

The Skelligs are part of the Wild Atlantic Way tourism route, one of several regions developed to entice tourists to the emerald isle, including the Belfast Experience including the Titanic, Ancient East and the Causeway Coastal Route.

Among the events planned for this spring is a special treat for Star Wars fans for May the 4th, Star Wars Day, in Portmagee, County Kerry, with an outdoor screening of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, with the Skellig Islands filming locations as the backdrop.

“The beauty of that county is unmatched… the people are so nice, they make you feel like family,” Hamill says in the video. “I would urge anyone planning a vacation to go to Ireland. You’ll never find anyplace like it. It was hard to come back.”

Targeted spring advertising campaigns for Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta will run through May on travel and lifestyle sites.

Plus Tourism Ireland is bolstering its social media presence and expects to see that reap plenty of rewards when landmarks in Canada and around the world “go green” for St. Patrick’s Day next month.

“It’s never been so easy to brag,” Griffin said of capitalizing on Instagram and Facebook love from visitors to Ireland.

Griffin said the Irish government has taken several policy steps to make the island nation an easier sell, including dropping the airport tax and cutting the VAT rate to 9% from 13.5%.

He added it’s easy for Canadians to get to Ireland, with more than 8,000 airline seats available during the summer season on Aer Lingus, Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, ASL Airlines, Air Transat and Westjet.

It may be tough to get Canadians to swap their winter tanning plans for a pint of Guinness, but Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s Head of North America, said Ireland should be a year-round destination for Canadians.

Griffin echoed that, reminding the guests that the average Dublin January temperature is about 7C.

He said Ireland has unique draws no matter what the season. That’s especially true for the 4.5 million Canadians who claim Irish ancestry.

“A unique selling point no sun destination can compete with is they can go back in time” and see where their ancestors lived, said Griffin.