� IN FOCUS l IRELAND


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CHINA READY


The latest batch of Irish tourism businesses to complete Fáilte Ireland’s Get China Ready programme have received their certificates from the national tourism development authority. Among those receiving


certification were the Guinness Storehouse, Dublin’s Marker Hotel, Cork’s Castlemartyr Resort, the InterContinental Hotel in Ballsbridge and Limerick’s Strand Hotel. Paul Keeley, commercial


development director at Fáilte Ireland, said Irish tourism businesses are already seeing an increase in the number of Chinese visitors since direct flights from China started in June 2018. He said: “The aim of the


‘China Ready Programme’ is to ensure that the Chinese visitor is warmly welcomed to Ireland and that tourism businesses are prepared and culturally aware of the requirements of our Chinese visitors.” Paul Carty, The Guinness


Storehouse managing director, added: “The Guinness Storehouse has been active in the Chinese market for almost eight years and in that time, the market has grown from virtually zero to almost 50,000 visitors. “The Fáilte Ireland ‘China


Ready’ training programme has given our team a deeper and highly practical understanding of the cultural differences and needs of the Chinese visitor.” The programme is being run


by Fáilte Ireland with Tourism Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland. failteireland.ie


18 TravelGBI | October 2018


ew direct flights from Beijing and Hong Kong to Dublin mean the number of Chinese inbound visits to Ireland is expected to be well over 100,000 in 2018.


N The Beijing service is operated


by Hainan Airlines, while the Hong Kong link is by Cathay Pacific. Both launched in June 2018. James Kenny, China manager


of Tourism Ireland, said: “China is the largest outbound travel market in the world and one that Tourism Ireland is committed to growing over the coming years. “In 2017, we welcomed an


estimated 90,000 Chinese visitors to Ireland; the introduction of direct flights from Beijing and Hong Kong is a major game-changer and offers a real opportunity for us to build on this number. “We are confident that we are


in a strong position to grow this emerging travel market in 2018 and over the coming years.” By comparison, other long-haul


markets are smaller – for example, Ireland saw 71,000 visitors from the Middle East and 38,000 visitors from India in 2017.


� Screen tourism Tourism Ireland says Chinese visitors are attracted to self-drive tours and screen tourism experiences, so it is promoting its regional brands such


as the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland’s Ancient East, and Dublin, a Breath of Fresh Air.


Other popular attractions


in Ireland are the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin and locations used in the filming of Star Wars. North of the border, screen tours


are available for Game of Thrones fans, while Titanic Belfast and the Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast are favoured by the Chinese. Tourism Ireland has offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Chengdu, and the tourist board works closely with intermediaries, such as the travel trade, airlines and media. It has recently launched a new website, specifically designed for use on mobile devices. The site is hosted


The Guinness Storehouse in Dublin


The number of Chinese visits to Ireland is expected to rise above 100,000 in 2018, thanks to new direct flights. Samantha Mayling reports


in China, making it more accessible for prospective Chinese visitors. Tourism Ireland is increasingly using social media to raise awareness of Ireland in this mobile- dominant market.


� Visa scheme Another factor in the rise of the Chinese market is the British-Irish visa scheme, which launched in October 2014. Tourism Ireland continues to highlight the scheme in China, which enables travellers from China to visit Ireland and the UK on a single visa. To prepare for increasing numbers of Chinese tourists, a China Ready Programme has been training frontline staff in aspects of language, culture, food and drink, and signage. The programme is aimed at


educating Irish tourism businesses about the opportunities of the Chinese tourist market and is part of Fáilte Ireland’s work to assist tourism businesses to diversify their market mix and reduce the risks posed by Brexit.


The Great Wall of China joins Tourism Ireland’s annual ‘Global Greening’ promotion on St Patrick’s Day.


Looking ahead to a post-Brexit scenario, Tourism Ireland believes that “the adverse impact of Brexit can be mitigated through a combination of aggressive marketing and the continuation of existing successful wider policy initiatives”. tourismireland.com


travelgbi.com


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