Tourism Ireland is promoting the island of Ireland in China this week – to influential travel buyers from China, Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan – at VisitBritain’s annual Destination Britain China and North East Asia event.
The event, which is taking place in Xi’an, the capital of the Shaanxi Province in central China, involves a series of pre-scheduled meetings and networking opportunities with more than 100 tour operators and travel agents.
It’s a valuable opportunity for Tourism Ireland to highlight the island of Ireland to the travel buyers, so that they are more enthusiastic and better equipped to sell the destination to their clients. Key messages include the spectacular scenery of the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland’s Ancient East and the Causeway Coastal Route, as well as our Game of Thrones filming locations. Tourism Ireland is also promoting the British Irish Visa Scheme, reminding the travel agents that this scheme allows Chinese nationals to visit both Ireland and the UK, including Northern Ireland, using a single visa.
“We are really pleased to attend VisitBritain’s annual Destination Britain China and North East Asia event,” said David Boyce, Tourism Ireland’s Head of Middle East, Asia and Emerging Markets. “It’s another important platform for Tourism Ireland to showcase the island of Ireland to key travel buyers from China and other Asian markets. We work closely with VisitBritain, particularly in long-haul markets like China, to target people travelling to Britain and to encourage them to visit the island of Ireland as part of their trip, and vice versa.
“China is the largest outbound travel market in the world and one that Tourism Ireland is committed to growing over the coming years. In 2018, we welcomed an estimated 100,000 Chinese visitors to the island of Ireland.”
PIC SHOWS: James Kenny (left) and Chloe Wang, both Tourism Ireland, meeting with a travel agent at the Destination Britain China and North East Asia event in Xi’an.
