Published on : Wednesday, February 28, 2018
This week in New York, six companies related to Irish tourism are taking part in SMU (Successful Meetings University) International. This three-day event attracts roughly 100 top American MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and events) professionals, all keen to explore the exciting and exclusive business tourism destinations.
To quote Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s Head of North America, “events like SMU International are an important platform to continue to build awareness of the island of Ireland and our world-class business tourism offering. Business tourism is the most lucrative form of tourism, with visitors travelling to Ireland for business purposes spending about 2.5 times more than the average holidaymaker.”
“In 2017, we welcomed a record 1.83 million North American visitors to the island of Ireland. In 2018, we are confident that our strategy – combined with more airline seats than ever before from the US, as well as the strength and competitiveness of the vacation experience right around the island of Ireland – will deliver further growth. Our aim is to deliver a +5% increase in visitor numbers and +7% increase in revenue from North America in 2018. We look forward to welcoming more of our great friends from the United States this year and in the years to come.”
For the island of Ireland, ‘Meet in Ireland’ is the formal MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and events) brand. It includes three tourism authorities – Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland and Tourism NI – who work in joint venture to endorse Ireland as one of the leading conference and meeting destinations.
Tags: Tourism Ireland, Tourism Ireland showcases Ireland