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Tourism Ireland is showcasing the Emerald Isle’s luxury tourism offerings as it encourages travellers to spend more in the ever-popular destination.

Speaking to LATTE on a recent trade mission which visited Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland, Alison Metcalfe, Executive Vice President of North America, Australia & New Zealand highlighted Australia as a key market, particularly in terms of spend and revenue.

In 2023, Australian visitors to Ireland spent €210 million making it the 7th most important source market for Ireland by revenue. These visitors stayed on average 14.9 nights, making them the longest staying visitors of all overseas markets totalling 2.1 million bed nights. This year is also looking positive, with 1% year-on-year growth in visitor numbers between January and September.

Now, the focus for the tourism body is to work closely with both media and the trade to grow awareness of the variety on offer in the destination and encourage travellers to do more in the destination as air connectivity between Australia and Ireland returns to pre-pandemic levels.

“We are targeting those travellers who are more likely to spend a little bit more, stay longer, and also are capable of getting off the beaten track to explore the regions,” she said. “That really aligns very well with the Australian traveller.”

This involves building on the luxury proposition Tourism Ireland launched to the international trade trade at last year’s ILTM Cannes event – “Where luxury comes naturally.”

“What we needed to do there was dial up that there is no better place to connect with nature and really connect with yourself than Ireland,” Metcalfe said.

The campaign was based on extensive research which really highlighted that the word luxury means different things to different people, she explained. But she is confident Ireland can deliver on most of these fronts – from foodie and cultural experiences to private tours and unique experiences like a Bushmills whisky tasting on the Giant’s Causeway.

Ireland’s accommodation options cater well to a luxury clientele, Metcalfe continued, highlighting its high-end offerings like Ashford Castle. The County Mayo property is also home to the School of Falconry which she pointed out as another example of some of the incredible immersive experiences available in the destination.

The level of hospitality visitors receive when they visit Ireland plays a huge part in this proposition too. “We believe that hospitality is in our DNA,” she said. “Service delivery in Ireland is done in a very spontaneous way. We pride ourselves on a great welcome, very naturally.”

Tourism Ireland is therefore investing heavily in education and training on the ground to maintain these high standards, but also in supporting the travel trade locally.

“We really do value the retail trade and the travel trade in general. In markets like Australia, we realise it’s a big consideration where people travel,” Metcalfe said. “They’re spending a lot of money, and they want to make sure they have the very best experience. So it’s about building business together.”

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