Minister Burke on Tourism Tour
Minister Peter Burke is leading his first tourism sales mission this week, following the move of tourism into the newly formed Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. The Tourism Ireland sales mission is taking place on the West Coast of the United States.
Tourism companies from the island of Ireland, airlines and American tour operators programming Ireland will connect with travel agents based on the West Coast of the US. Hundreds of commercial meetings will take place this week to drive partnership and tourism growth over the coming years. The “Best of Ireland” sales mission will visit key cities for tourism on the West Coast of the United States, including Seattle, San Francisco, Newport Beach and San Diego.
In 2024, visitors from North America to Ireland spent almost €2.2 billion, up +19% on 2023, making it the fastest-growing inbound market area (source: CSO). 27% of all US tourists to Ireland come from the West of the United States. In 2022, Tourism Ireland opened a new office in Ireland House in San Francisco, reflecting the level of opportunity in the West of the United States for tourism to the island of Ireland. Over recent years, direct flights from San Francisco, San Diego and Los Angeles to Ireland have helped open up this high potential market.
Minister Burke said:
“Tourism is and will continue to be an incredibly important industry for the island of Ireland, an industry that sustains our communities and drives development in our regions. Tourism has just recently been added to the portfolio of my Department, underscoring the importance of the sector as a key economic driver and employer. The Irish Government is fully committed to tourism, in terms of both development and marketing.”
Alice Mansergh, chief executive of Tourism Ireland, said:
“The Minister brings his support to strengthen relationships with travel trade partners in North America, at a time when this market is worth approximately €2.2 billion per year to Ireland.”
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