Top Kilkenny tourist attraction to fore of World’s leading travel expo

A Kilkenny tourist attraction was front and centre at the world’s leading holiday exhibition as part of a drive to attract more tourism to Ireland.

Smithwick’s Experience Kilkenny joined Tourism Ireland in London last week at the World Travel Market (WTM) exposition.

WTM is the largest event in the global travel and tourism calendar, with around 51,000 travel professionals from 182 countries and regions around the world attending, including 3,000 international travel media.

Tourism Ireland will launch its full marketing programme for 2020, with over 80 tourism businesses promoted, to the wider Irish industry early in December. In 2019, the organisation invested €45 million on promotions in Britain, North America, Mainland Europe and emerging tourism markets.

Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said: “World Travel Market has perhaps never been more important for us than it was this year. So, the record number of Irish tourism companies attending this year was extremely welcome – particularly given the uncertainty around Brexit and the hugely competitive marketplace in which we’re operating. As our nearest neighbour, Britain remains an extremely important market for Irish tourism.

“We will be marketing hard in Britain and across the world to deliver that message – from now right through 2020 – and to provide the reassurance that potential visitors and our travel trade partners overseas need to hear.”