Ireland presents its key offerings

Ireland became one of the most popular destinations mainly due to the famous movie ‘Game of Thrones’ which attracted many visitors to the destination within a very short period of time. The first in a series of two webinars for the GCC was concluded last month with a record number of participants, based on luxury travel to the destination.

Shehara Rizly

Starting off the session was Siobhán Naughton, Marketing & Trade Executive Middle East & Asia Tourism Ireland. She gave a brief about the destination and the many offerings around the island. She reiterated that since 2018, UAE nationals were given the opportunity to travel visa free to Ireland and at the same time the short stay visa waiver scheme allows other GCC visitors who enter UK on the general C visit visa to also visit Ireland without an Irish visa and it is valid for a period of 90 days.  However, the requirement to quarantine for 14 days was still in practice but she said that they will keep the trade informed if there was a change to the regulations.

Connectivity plays a key role in the promotion of any destination; the island of Ireland is well serviced by the main carriers in the GCC such as Emirates and Etihad as well as the other international carriers such as KLM, British Airways, Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa.  Naughton explained that GCC travellers look for five main themes in the destination; luxury experience, city breaks, coastal touring routes, golf experience and screen tourism. She further reiterated that screen tourism has placed Ireland on the map over the past few years.  About 80 per cent of the Game of Thrones was screened in the destination, Star Wars was also screened there.

Speaking on the luxury aspect of the destination, Gillian Costelloe, Business Development Manager & Creative Planner, Emerald VIP Services was the next to share about their bespoke services. Established in 2011, the company consists of directors with a very strong background in corporate aviation. They are an international transport and tour provider with a fleet of executive vehicles. They offer bespoke experiences in Ireland, UK and Africa. Their services include bespoke and creative itineraries, dual or tri destination offering, escorted or self-drive tours, commissionable or net rates, full or partial services, both luxury high-end and mid-range with centralised service offering.  The private ‘Riverdance’ experience offers a demonstration from the lead dancer, travellers are given the opportunity to learn the history of Irish dance and receive a special gift. Travel is all about experience and most in the GCC prefer luxury with a touch of class and elegance and the Emerald VIP services are definitely geared for it, concluded Costelloe.

Deirdre Purcell, Cluster Sales Director North America and Entertainment Markets, MHL Hotels introduced the many properties under its aegis in the destination of Ireland in Dublin and other areas much preferred by the GCC clientele. She mentioned some of the key well-known brands such the Intercontinental in Dublin, which is located just 25 minutes from the Dublin airport, others such as Westin and Powerscourt hotel resort and spa under the autograph collection are some of the key accommodation offerings by the MHL hotels.

David Wardell, Tourism Development Manager, Irish National Stud and Gardens shared details of the many programmes on offer to all visitors interested in different areas of breeding thoroughbred horses or visiting the estate to explore the many activities offered to all ages.

Alison Johnston of Kildare Village presented some of the most interesting areas in Ireland to be visited by the GCC travellers. She is no stranger to the GCC market and most agents already work with her for tours to the Kildare Village part of the Bicester Village. She reiterated that there are many modes of transportation to get to the area and the high-end international brands and the local brands are promoted throughout the year with great discounts as much as 60 per cent.

The webinar concluded with a quiz to be answered by the trade partners.