By Cassidy McNeeley,
 Boston Irish Staff

While some 50 guests enjoyed eggs, bacon, potatoes, Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s Head of North America, welcomed them to a discussion aimed at promoting the island of Ireland as a leading holiday destination.

“I’m particularly delighted to welcome some of our top-tier travel partners who are here, all of whom are actively programming and selling the Island of Ireland, selling Northern Ireland as part of the broader island as a vacation offering,” said Metcalfe. “We want to encourage people to travel year-round. We want to encourage people to get off the beaten track and to explore our region and get people to stay longer and experience more.” 

Minister of State Charlie McConalogue added that “Northern Ireland and Donegal have not been explored by as many people as the southern half of Ireland. Traditionally, it has been people coming to Dublin, Galway, and Kerry. But it's been wonderful to see, over my lifetime, the wonderful transformation of the northern half of our country.” 

Like McConalogue, Minister Archibald grew up in Northern Ireland and hopes more people will choose her home as a vacation destination. 

“Getting to Ireland has never been easier,” she noted. “This summer, there were direct nonstop flights from 21 different American gateways, including right here in Boston. Air access from the US to Ireland for this winter remains strong with seats up 17 percent on last winter, and that includes Aer Lingus and Delta services from Boston.”  

Metcalfe added that despite economic hardships, trips to Ireland were up four percent through September. “People are still prioritizing travel within their discretionary spend buckets. Travel has become such an important part of people's lives,” she explained.

Archibald reminded attendees that in Northern Ireland, visitors can explore the Titanic experience in Belfast, pose with the Derry Girls mural on Orchard Street, tour the Game of Thrones studio in Banbridge, and play at some of the world’s best golf courses. 

“Our American visitors tell us they are motivated to visit by our beautiful landscape and scenery, as well as our rich culture, history, and heritage,” she said. “We have so much to offer American visitors across the year, from St. Patrick's Day in the spring to Halloween in the fall. I hope we can encourage more visitors to discover the beauty of regions across the North and the island.”

According to Archibald, tourism is one of the country's largest industries, supporting around 300,000 jobs across the island. “Our strong historical, cultural, and economic connections mean the United States is a critical market for us,” she said. “American visitors typically stay longer, tour around our regions, and spend more than visitors from other markets. We believe that there is potential to grow this further in the years ahead.”