| 'Jump Start' for Tourism in 2012 |
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| Written by Frank Corr |
| Thursday, 01 December 2011 09:28 |
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Touirism Ireland plans to restore Irish tourism to 2007 levels by 2015, it said yesterday. Launching its 2012 marketing plan, Tourism ireland said that its goal is to build on this year’s return to growth in overseas tourism and to welcome over 9 million visitors to the island by 2015, exceeding the record year for tourism of 2007. The new Tourism Ireland campaign, called 'Jump Into Ireland' which will launch in January 2012 in 22 markets around the globe, will include TV, radio, press, cinema and online advertising and will have an estimated annual audience of 60 million potential visitors worldwide. The soundtrack for the TV ads is a track from the latest album, Fallen Empires, of Co Down band Snow Patrol. 2012 looks set to be an exciting year for tourism, with major events like the grand finale of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-2012 taking place in Galway and the annual Notre Dame-Navy American football game coming to Dublin’s Aviva Stadium. In the second half of the year, Tourism Ireland will promote The Gathering 2013 to the 70 million people across the world who feel linked by family, friends or otherwise with Ireland.
Latest estimates indicate that, by year end, 7.4 million people will have visited the island in 2011, representing a +7% increase over 2010 (+9% increase in overseas visitors to the Republic of Ireland). Growth has been recorded from all market areas including the vital Great Britain market. Revenue generated by overseas visitors is expected to be approximately €3.38 billion, a +10% increase over last year. Niall Gibbons, chief executive of Tourism Ireland, said: “2011 has marked a welcome return to growth for overseas tourism to the island of Ireland, with visitor numbers forecast to reach 7.4 million for the year, a +7% increase on 2010 (+9% to the Republic of Ireland). This is good news for all of us in the tourism industry.”
Tourism Ireland’s targets for 2012 will see the island of Ireland welcoming 7.8 million visitors during the year. This will represent growth in visitor numbers of +5.5% over 2011 and will set the sector back on the road to reaching visitor levels attained in the peak year of 2007 by 2015. Commenting on the year ahead, Niall Gibbons said: “2012 is about competing to win. While recent economic turmoil has brought increased uncertainty, affecting business and consumer confidence, the overall outlook for travel and tourism remains positive. Tourism Ireland will roll out an extensive marketing programme to capitalise on the strong interest in Ireland in all our markets. Our new advertising campaign will capture the essence of a holiday here and play to our strengths – iconic experiences and warm, friendly people. Tourism Minister Leo Varadkar said the Republic enjoyed a "reasonably good" year in 2011 but travel numbers were still well below the 2007/08 peak. He predicted that despite the upcoming Budget, Irish people will be able to take a holiday next year. '
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