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TOURISM IRELAND HAS launched a new ad campaign aimed at attracting American holidaymakers.
The campaign will run on TV channels around the States, reaching an estimated 255 million Americans. It will run on a host of channels including the History channel, Food Network, Discovery Channel, National Geographic and BBC America.
The campaign will run for four weeks in tandem with social activity and an extensive online advertising campaign, designed to stimulate spring and summer travel.
In 2016, we welcomed around 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.
Tourism Ireland is targeting growth of 6% in visitors from North America to Ireland this year. They say this is achievable because of a number of factors, including: more airline seats between the US and Ireland, more flights, and a strong dollar.
Alison Metcalfe of Tourism Ireland said the ad is the beginning of a year’s worth of advertising aimed at promoting the island.
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Arthur will turn in his grave with not a drop of the black stuff in sight.
I thought it was quite xenophobic myself with not one African face popping up throughout the advert. Shameful representation of our welcoming and diverse nation.
@Henry Krinkle:
No zombies in the Dublin shot either
My God. Don’t be so famed PC. What ever you do for a living you Benefit from the money spent by tourists !
There were the plonkers with guitars, lying in wait for unwary visitors. Anyway most tourists are well able to outrun zombies.
Henry Krinkle – Only 1.6% of the Irish population is black so to be fair, it’s actually a fairly accurate representation.
@Henry Krinkle: I think he meant Guinness…
Americans like rural Ireland. Do t see why showcasing that is a problem
@John Reese:@John Reese: Don’t mind the typically snarky byline, The Journal wouldn’t be The Journal if it didn’t get in a dig at someone.
@John Reese: But the question is – will John Connors be sending a Terminator back in time to Rural Ireland???
They should buy a Superbowl slot.
To be honest that’s a very good idea.
4 million dollars for a 30 second slot at the Superbowl ..
Well worth it..
That would be nearly the entire advertising budget!
Why an english number plate when it’s about ireland
It’s a co. Derry one!
@Bottleneck: WU12 AHZ was issued in the West of England (WU = Exeter/Truro/Bristol), AHZ is just the random serial part of the reg. I doubt that it will affect the effectiveness of the ad, but it seems silly that the ad agency couldn’t rustle up a genuine Irish-reg, air-cooled (not Brazilian-built water-cooled) VW Type 2, there’s loads about if you visit the right websites.
@Type17:
wrong sort of German van, damn
Are they not tourists admiring the sheep or cows or whatever while they are on their holliers?
At least the English can bring their cars over on the ferry and not get caught out by the car rental cowboys that operate here.
They don’t charge the exorbitant prices they used to, too much internet completion these days.
@Boganity: The rental of the actual car doesn’t cost as much but they try to stiff you on the insurance. Of course you don’t have to buy it but then you need a credit card which allows a 2-4k charge in case of damage.
Sure Irish plates are indistinguishable from all the Polish and Lithuanian plates on Irish roads
Nice to see sliabh liag and the cliffs of bunglas there at the end. That place is out of this world. Ireland best kept secret!
Great Add…
Still no Unite and Brendan Oge Story, to be expected since you were such champions for HSH when they started!
Begorra ’tis indeed a fine advert. T’be sure.
Bottom of the day to ya!!
Good ad. 255 million sounds fanciful though.
Do we all say ‘in the now’? I’ve never noticed that before?
Guy at the end was just about to get a bit of tit.
Well…. that was underwhelming.
That’s because you’re not in the target demographic
Didn’t show the horrendous Q’s in Dublin airport at immigration. The zombies and aggressive beggars in the city centre, the filth and rubbish all over the north inner city, the homeless ,the chronic traffic congestion ,the overpriced hotels, restaurants and bars. That’s the real Ireland.
Yeah it’s an ad, We are trying to attract people.
Mong
The same can be said for Los Angeles.
Next.
Or the world class moaners we have in abundance.
You mean Dublin isn’t a paradise with no crime, unemployment or problems? Well I never!
Always thinking the negative. …
@gerard carey: visit Ireland… Your number 1 stop for zombies filth and rubbish… Wouldn’t work I’d say.
I’ve never had any problem with the immigration queues at DUB I use the far-queue !
@gerard carey: oh the red thumb brigade won’t like that, they don’t like the truth.
No leprechaun?
Clichés aplenty
Cliches and Culchies. Can’t beat a holiday in Ireland.
@Michael Mc Carthy: All it needed was “a young woman talking to a tree” and it would be a grand ad.
Was it just me or was a woman hovering over The Giants Causeway in the ad?
It was just you
They should have use this
@Angry Gaming: They should have used this:
Its not bad thought there would be leprechauns popping up shame with our hotel restaurant and pub prices it’s not cheap to come here on holls
At least we managed not to show any leprechauns swigging pints of the black stuff. I think that’s a first for tourism Ireland or whatever they’re called these days. Pity about the reg’ on the camper though, or perhaps it was an English couple on holidays. … Yeah, That’s it, English holiday-makers. Cool.
What shocks me is how little warning or heads up is given to tourists as to the dangerous areas in certain cities. It upsets me to see tourists, including you female tourists walking into dangerous areas of Dublin at late hours.
There needs to be a proper system of information and warning.
An areas p which gets very little exposure is the serious problem of violent robbery of tourists in zireland. Just occasionally these stories get into the public domain.
By all means attract tourists but also let them know where there are higher than usual numbers of dangers.
Two problems with that, Tony:
1) it would be unfair to classify areas as either being crime ridden or not. What about businesses in the area who will lose business based on such a simplistic classification
2) such categories are likely to lead to a false sense of security and some skanger will take advantage of it to rob blind some tourist outside “safe” Trinity college, for example
Shocking that the blue rinse brigade is still the target market. There’s a market out there beyond that and ads like that don’t hit it even if shown during Jimmy Fallon or Jimmy Kimmel. Promote today’s Ireland not just the shamrock and shillelaghs one we’ve been selling for ever.
What’s today’s Ireland?
@Noel Falkhall: The hack of the breakfast in your profiler.
Absolutely hilarious comment….had to give you a thumbs up on it. Just brilliant, you should be a copywriter.
I’m no sure which, either The Goldberg s or Modern Family where they suggested going to Ireland. Neither of these programmes target “the blue rinse brigade”.
@NickFalkhall it’s marketing 101: the blue rinse demographic has the highest disposable income so why would you target backpackers doing Europe on 10 euro a day
Crap ad, or no, Ireland is a great attraction for many of us of the ‘Diaspora.’ Over the last few years I’ve been there a dozen times and always regret leaving and look forward to returning. It may be fanciful for some, a reconnecting to their familial past, or merely a chance to visit a place full of history and damned delightful people (at least for the most part, there are a small number of obnoxious jackasses, but that holds true everywhere!)
Jump into Ireland next to a big picture of the Cliffs of Moher.. Hmmm
That’s Slieve League in Donegal
Eh Hello !!! No leprechauns ???
half penny bridge you either see beggars or junkies, if you had a band there the traffic would get them
Rubbish ad to be fair, could have done a lot better
Is NI paying towards this campaign? If not then the ad should be Republic only. Harsh but fair.
Why are we showcasing NI? A part of the uk that the majority of its inhabitants despise Ireland !
@kingstown: ‘Ireland’ is the entire island. And people who visit the Giants Causeway will likely visit places south of the border too
*Sheesh*
Nearly go there myself if I didn’t know the real truth. Americans don’t spend money and there are other better market out there.
Horse and cart would have looked better than a volkswagan.
And a tan van in the middle of it!!! Ffs.
Not an Irish reg!!How Irish can we get?
Looks good, just keep the tourists out of the cities, for fear they might see some of the poverty Enda and Co have bestowed upon us.
Nonsense ad that…didn’t see one Irish pub ya know the our most popular export all over the world and the first experience many people have of Ireland.
Things needed in the Ad…Pub/Trad, Guinness, Scenery.
*Cue the Redheads*
Dont forget to tell the tourist about the junkies and muggers we have on our streets of shame.
Crap Ad, not owner pint of Guinness shown.
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