Ireland to be seen on national TV by 255 million Americans

Tourism Ireland launches national TV campaign to grow tourism in 2017 from the US market

Tourism Ireland will launch its first national TV campaign in the United States in over seven years. Today (Monday, 16 January) sees the beginning of a month-long TV campaign which will reach an estimated 255 million potential American holidaymakers. 

The TV campaign will run on TV channels which resonate with our important ‘culturally curious’ audience, including the History channel, Food Network, Discovery Channel, National Geographic and BBC America.  The campaign – which features Tourism Ireland’s new 30-second ad highlighting the island of Ireland – will run for four weeks in tandem with social activity and an extensive online advertising campaign, designed to stimulate spring and summer travel.

The latest Tourism Ireland campaign aims to build on the fourth record-breaking year in a row for Irish tourism from the United States. In 2016, we welcomed about 1.6 million American and Canadian visitors to the island of Ireland (up +13% on 2015), delivering revenue of €1.4 billion for the economy (+11% on 2015).

Tourism Ireland is targeting growth of +6% in visitors from North America to Ireland this year. Key factors include more airline seats than ever before between the US and Ireland, with a number of new flights and expanded services in the pipeline for this year; a strong dollar; as well as ongoing investment in world-class vacation experiences which appeal to American travellers, including the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland’s Ancient East, Dublin, the Causeway Coastal Route and Titanic Belfast.

Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s Head of North America, said: “We’re excited to kick off our 2017 promotional programme with a high impact, national TV campaign, to continue to build awareness of the island of Ireland as a premier and ‘must visit’ vacation destination. In 2017, Tourism Ireland will create ‘stand out’ for Ireland in the US, highlighting iconic experiences like the Wild Atlantic Way, the Causeway Coastal Route, Ireland’s Ancient East, Belfast and Dublin. Screen tourism will also remain a priority, as we continue to capitalise on our connections with Star Wars and Game of Thrones.