Economy Minister promotes Northern Ireland to Global Inbound Tour Operators

Economy Minister for Northern Ireland attended Tourism Ireland’s ‘Flavours of Ireland’ event in London this week, where he met leading global inbound tour operators who deliver visitors at scale to the island of Ireland from all over the world.

Now in its 22^nd year, ‘Flavours’ is an annual Tourism Ireland workshop – where 60 tourism companies from across the island of Ireland, including Visit Causeway Coast and Glens, Kintra Boat Tours, and Portrush Atlantic Hotel, connected with around 100 global inbound tour operators, who’re mainly based in London and who deliver business from all over the world, including the United States, Mainland Europe, Asia, Australasia and Africa.

The largest of the tour operators attending brings around 80,000 visitors to the island of Ireland each year and events like ‘Flavours’ help them set itineraries, determining the regions and communities that they bring visitors to. The tour operators are preparing to sign contracts for 2025 and beyond, so it’s a key time to influence the addition of new tourism products to their programmes that have the potential to deliver more regional and longer-stay business for the island of Ireland. Around 660 commercial meetings were conducted at the event, which will, in turn, deliver business for the island of Ireland from around the world in 2025 and beyond. 

Addressing the event, the north’s Economy Minister Conor Murphy said: “Tourism is incredibly important to Ireland’s economy. The Flavours of Ireland event builds upon this success by promoting our island to influential global tour operators.  I’m delighted to be here to support local companies from right across the north who are helping to showcase our fantastic tourism offering.”

Alice Mansergh, Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland, said: “Tourism Ireland runs our Flavours of Ireland event to increase awareness of the island of Ireland among influential global inbound tour operators and to secure a greater share of the global travel market. We are delighted to connect inspiring local tourism businesses from across the island of Ireland with global tour operators, who build itineraries to sell overseas for the coming years. Over 600 commercial meetings take place at our Flavours of Ireland workshop. Local tourism businesses attending offer diverse experiences, from boat trips to cathedrals and castles, from gardens and distilleries to tea tours, from places to stay to ways to travel and regions to explore. 

“We are delighted to be joined by the Economy Minister for Northern Ireland, Conor Murphy, who is supporting local businesses in bringing to life the tourism opportunity in Northern Ireland.”