Allison Metcalfe’s eyes are smiling. After all, the Tourism Ireland VP says the country’s post-pandemic recovery has been stronger and faster than expected providing momentum going into 2023 that makes her organization “very happy.”
New York-based Metcalfe – who served for years in Canada – says Ireland saw strong demand in the summer and fall in this country and should reach 65 to 70% of 2019 numbers for the year, which is exceptional given that the market only really began to travel again in Spring.
And, despite economic headwinds, the new year is showing a good start as Canadians continue to prioritize travel, including a trend towards multi-generational vacations, which “aligns strongly for Ireland.”
Further, there is optimism that air capacity will exceed pre-pandemic levels giving Canadians plenty of opportunity to get to Ireland (albeit with the loss of WestJet’s Halifax-Dublin route due to the carrier’s retrenchment in western Canada), and to do it easily from multiple gateways and without connections or the “hassle factor,” adds Tourism Ireland Canadian market manager Sandra Moffatt.
Carriers will include Air Canada, WestJet, Transat, and Aer Lingus.
To help further the recovery for Canada – an important source market for Ireland with close to 250,000 visitors a year and a substantial diaspora – Metcalfe says the tourist board will continue its “robust” marketing efforts from 2022, a year Tourism Ireland as labelled “the year of restart” in its three-part recovery strategy. (Part two in 2023 is “rebuild”; 2024-2025 “long-term sustainability”).
Notably, Metcalfe points to internal research suggesting that close to two-thirds of Canadian travellers are looking to travel to Europe next year, though many are still undecided as to where they will be going.
To help nudge the choices towards Ireland, the tourism board’s ‘Green Button’ campaign will return, and a focus will be placed on regionality, non-peak travel, extended stays, luxury, and upcoming sporting events.
“There’s good things happening in the golf market,” the VP adds, noting that golfers will be encouraged to get off the beaten track to discover the many hidden gem courses (including links tracks) throughout Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Ireland also has built-in cultural credentials, such as being the epicentre of Celtic music with countless festivals and events (including Dublin’s January TradFest); Guinness and Irish whisky, experienced through authentic pub culture (also a staple of the music scene); and, of course, lively St. Patrick’s Day in March, which in 2023 will be the first “full on” post-pandemic opportunity for tourists to get their green on at the annual four-day Dublin celebration of all thing Irish (the event did take place without local restrictions in 2022).
With additional focus on shoulder season travel, Ireland is also increasingly playing up its status as “the home of Halloween.”
“A core driver for Canadians travelling to Ireland,” observes Moffatt, “tends to be the Irish music, the dance, the culture, the hospitality.”
Metcalfe, meanwhile, notes that many suppliers have also invested in new experiences during COVID to encourage visitors to stay a littler longer and spend a little more by “being able to have some of those unique bucket list experiences that can only be found in Ireland.”
For the trade, Moffatt says the tourism board and supplier partners will visit Ottawa, London, Halifax, and St. John’s from Feb. 27 to March 2 on a road show and Ireland will introduce new communications branding in spring, in addition to usual fare such as agent education, webinars, Facebook group, trade events, etc.
The tourist board’s ongoing FAM program for the trade will also continue, importantly ensuring that the best way for agents to recommend and sell Ireland is for them to see it for themselves.