Tourism NI Hosts Dublin Showcase Celebration

Photo Caption L-R: Holly Hamilton, Presenter and Event Host, John McGrillen, CEO Tourism NI and Ellvena Graham, Chair Tourism NI.

Tourism NI hosted a special celebration event in Dublin last night to showcase Northern Ireland as a world class destination for leisure and business to travel trade and business event organisers.

The showcase event, which took place at the College Green Hotel in the city centre, provided an opportunity to strengthen already excellent relationships and forge new partnerships between the Northern Ireland tourism industry and Republic of Ireland travel trade, destination management companies and travel and feature writers.  

The event took place as it was confirmed that visitor numbers from the south to Northern Ireland had increased again in the first nine months of 2023.

Guests had the opportunity to meet with experience providers from Tourism NI’s ‘Embrace a Giant Spirit’ brand portfolio and other members of the Northern Ireland tourism industry and to sample Northern Irish products.

Following dinner, which showcased Northern Ireland produce, guests enjoyed performances from leading Northern Ireland musicians including pianist Ruth McGinley, vocalist Philippa O’Hara and The Aria String Quartet.

The outlook for 2024 in terms of leisure visitors to Northern Ireland remains very positive with hotel bookings ahead of where they were at this time last year, while Belfast holds the crown for being the world’s best conference destination, a title it has won three years in a row.

Commenting on the successful event Tourism NI Chair Ellvena Graham said;

“Growing the north’s share of the all-island tourism economy is a key objective of Tourism NI. It is fantastic to see that more people travelled from the south and spent more in the north in first nine months of 2023 than ever before, according to the latest official statistics. This excellent performance is testament to the collective efforts of the tourism industry and provides a great platform for the rest of 2024 and beyond”.    

“Tonight’s showcase is a great opportunity to reinforce the fantastic Northern Ireland offer and what makes us special. Whether visitors are looking for relaxing accommodation, an evocative, spectacular landscape, cities that teem with nightlife, cultural gems with fascinating stories, or a world-class food and drink scene, we can meet their needs”.  

‘We have forged hugely valuable connections and partnerships with colleagues throughout the travel trade, destination management companies and the media in the south. I look forward to continuing to build these relationships across the industry to attract even more visitors from the Republic of Ireland and from international markets to Northern Ireland in the years ahead.”