Kylemore Abbey and Killary Fjord Boat Tours are among 100 Irish companies to be hosted at Tourism Ireland’s stand at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London this week.
WTM marks the beginning of the promotional drive overseas for 2023 and is one of the largest events in the global travel and tourism calendar.
It presents a unique opportunity for the travel industry to meet, network, negotiate and conduct business for 2023.
The tourism industry is now facing other challenges following the pandemic – including labour shortfalls, currency fluctuations and the rising cost of doing business.
Nonetheless, the latest round of Tourism Ireland research gives cause for optimism for overseas tourism next year.
The research, carried out in 10 important tourism markets, shows that the desire to travel is stronger than ever.
It also shows that seven out of ten people who want to travel in 2023 are still in the planning stages, meaning there is still an opportunity to influence their choice of destination.
Niall Gibbons, Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland, said that in 2022, their priority was to restart overseas tourism to the island of Ireland.
He said that it is therefore encouraging to see that the year is expected to finish at around 75% of 2019 business.
“As we look now to 2023, our research confirms that the desire to travel is stronger than ever – so our presence at World Travel Market is more important than ever,” said Mr Gibbons.
“The record number of tourism companies from Ireland – including our partners from Galway – attending this year is extremely welcome and essential in the highly competitive international marketplace.
“As we enter the REBUILD phase of our strategy for overseas tourism, our aim is to stand out from the crowd and to capture the attention of the global media and travel professionals at WTM.”
Tourism Ireland has been undertaking its most extensive programme of promotions ever this year to return overseas tourism to Ireland, following an extremely challenging two years for the tourism industry.
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