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Tourism Ireland, together with a delegation of 19 tourism companies from Ireland and Canada, is undertaking a four-city sales tour in Canada this week, meeting with more than 300 Canadian travel agents in the cities of Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver and Victoria.

Pictured are Sandra Moffatt, Tourism Ireland; Michelle Maguire, Ireland’s Blue Book; Marie Chawke, Dromoland Castle; Dermot O'Neill, Moloney & Kelly; Karen O’Connor, B&B Ireland; Aine Mcloughlin, Aran Island Ferries; HE Eamonn McKee, Irish Ambassador to Canada; and Siobhan Byrne Learat, Adams & Butler. 

The sales mission involves a workshop in each city, where the participating tourism companies from Ireland have the opportunity to network with, and sell to, influential Canadian travel professionals – informing them about the many things to see and do on a holiday in Ireland. The delegation will also meet influential travel journalists and bloggers at two media events in Toronto and Vancouver.

The mask mandate for passengers on board European flights and in airports is being dropped from next Monday.

However, mask rules will vary by airline, particularly on flights to or from a destination where mask-wearing is still required on public transport, and vulnerable passengers should continue to wear a face mask, authorities have advised.

It follows the issuing of a new update to the health and safety measures for air travel by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). They noted that while a face mask is still one of the best protections against the transmission of Covid-19, the recommendation for the mandatory wearing of medical masks in airports and on board a flight is being dropped from May 16.

The update of the joint Aviation Health Safety Protocol takes account of the latest developments in the pandemic, in particular the levels of vaccination and naturally-acquired immunity, and the accompanying lifting of restrictions in more European countries, they said.

Hotels, guesthouses and restaurants across the country have welcomed the announcement from Government that it is to extend the 9% VAT rate for the tourism and hospitality industry to the end of February 2023. This measure will go a long way to helping the industry recovery.

Given the challenges ahead, the Irish Hotels Federation is calling on the Government to further extend this measure out to 2025 in order to maintain international competitiveness with other European destinations.

IHF President Denyse Campbell said that the 9% VAT rate is the right rate to support recovery in Irish tourism and hospitality and enable the sector to rebuild following an exceptionally challenging two years – particularly in light of spiralling business costs.

Images of Galway and Connemara were beamed into the homes of around 3.2 million people in the Netherlands when an episode of a reality TV dating show aired on NPO 1, the oldest national TV channel in the Netherlands.

Contestants Annette Verschuure and Hans De Roover during filming for their "dream date" at the Abbeyglen Castle Hotel in Clifden. Also pictured are cameraman Ingmar Kooper (left); producer Lynette Hartsink (second left); reporter Patricia Brok (third left); and sound operator Maarten Ruijssenaars (right).

A TV crew – filming for the special Galway episode of one of the most popular TV programmes in the Netherlands, called Boer zoekt Vrouw (meaning "The Farmer Wants a Wife") – was in Ireland last November as guests of Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland.