Ireland’s three times Major winner Padraig Harrington has accepted an invitation to be 'Ireland’s new face for golf
tourism'. 

The announcement comes as  Failte Ireland launches a new golf brand and
embarks on a €1.5m. marketing blitz to promote Irish golf overseas.  For the next year,
Harrington will be at the forefront of Irish golf tourism promotions and will help promote
Fáilte Ireland’s new golf brand, 'Time to Play'.  

Speaking at the launch to-day (Friday), he said: –

'I am very proud to represent Ireland wherever I play around the world, as I have
been throughout my career. As I travel the globe, I visit and experience some wonderful places and get to play
some of the world's best courses, but I always look forward to returning home and
playing the unique golf courses of Ireland.  In Ireland, we are very fortunate to have some of the very best golf courses in the
world, from links to inland courses, all of which provide a friendly welcome to any
visitor. I hope that my involvement in the ‘Golf in Ireland - Time to Play’  initiative can
help the Irish golf tourism industry in some way and I can assist in spreading the
message of Ireland's fantastic golf courses, facilities and warm welcome.'

The Irish golfing community meets and welcomes almost 150,000 visitors annually.  Golf is
one of Ireland’s greatest tourist attractions, contributing an estimated €110 million to the
economy.  The decline in the number of golfing tourists visiting our Irish golf courses and hotels, coupled with the current
economic downturn, have financially squeezed the sector. Fáilte Ireland has been working with the golf industry, through a national Golf
Forum, to put in place a number of initiatives that will support the industry in this difficult
period.

Having identified golf as an area of strategic importance, Fáilte Ireland significantly increased
its international marketing budget in 2010 to just over €1.5 million.  The new brand 'Time to
Play' has been designed to rival the competing destinations such as Scotland and Wales.  
 
The new multimedia campaign will be implemented across a range of media including
broadcast and print.  Importantly, digital media will also be exploited as currently 70% of
golfers use the internet as their source of reference when planning their trips. 

The announcement of a new brand and ambassador comes on foot of other recent
developments within golf tourism.  For example, last month the sector welcomed a new
national quality assurance scheme for golf courses in Ireland.  This new quality standard will
ensure that golf consumers are fully informed and assured of the range of quality services
available in golf courses throughout Ireland. 

In addition to the new standards framework, Fáilte Ireland is developing an online solution for
booking golf tee times in Ireland. This customer friendly system is designed to make it easier
for visitors to find and book golf in Ireland.  Both domestic and overseas golfers will be able
to search for availability of tee times on www.discoverireland.ie/golf  and
www.discoverireland.com/golf respectively.