Representatives of Pleasant Holidays – one of the largest tour operators in the United States – together with five of its top-selling travel agents, visited Strokestown Park House, as guests of Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland.
Picture Credit: Edmund Boyle
Pleasant Holidays launched Ireland as a new destination in January of this year, so the aim of this visit was to give the travel agents the chance to experience some of Ireland’s superb tourism offering, to ensure that when they return home they will be even more enthusiastic – and better equipped – to advise their clients about holidaying here.
Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s Head of North America, said: “Tourism Ireland was delighted to invite this group of travel professionals to visit Strokestown Park House. Fact-finding visits like this are an important element of our annual programme of activity with the travel trade in the United States, as the travel agents get to experience at first-hand what’s on offer here for holidaymakers back home – helping them to sell the destination with more enthusiasm and expertise.”
Alison Metcalfe continued: “2015 was another record-breaking year for Irish tourism from the United States and Canada; and the outlook for this year is also positive, with the most recent CSO figures for February-April, showing growth of +20% in visitors from North America. We are undertaking an extensive programme of promotions throughout 2016, to keep the momentum going and build on that growth.”