A digital tourism marketing campaign offering a 5-day getaway break to County Clare had attracted more than 34,000 entries from across the United States and Canada.
Hosted by the Cliffs of Moher Experience and supported by Tourism Ireland, Aer Lingus and Clare tourism operators, the ‘Epic Trip’ competition targeted the North American market and reached an audience of 3.4 million people via Cliffs of Moher Experience social media channels and through targeted Google ad placements.
The winning couple, Peggy and Daniel Haukup from Wichita in Kansas, arrived in Ireland this morning. Their prize includes Aer Lingus direct scheduled return flights from the USA with AVIS car hire and a five-night stay in County Clare with attractions and activities included.
The winning couple’s prize includes visits to the world-famous Cliffs of Moher, Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, Aillwee Cave, Doolin, Ballyvaughan, Lahinch, Ennis, Burren Smokehouse and the Wild Honey Inn in Lisdoonvarna, a guided tour of the Burren with the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark Geologist Dr. Eamon Doyle, and a trip to the base of the Cliffs of Moher and the Aran Islands on board Garrihy’s Doolin2Aran Ferries.
“The success of this digital marketing campaign is the result of a collaborative effort involving Aer Lingus and Tourism Ireland and is evidence that an inter-agency digital marketing campaign,” stated Geraldine Enright, Director of the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience.
“The campaign is funded by Tourism Ireland through the Industry Market Access Programme (IMAP), which has been established to support the tourism industry on the island of Ireland to recover swiftly from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic,” she explained. “The Programme has a particular focus on supporting sales focused activities in key overseas markets such as the North American market, which our campaign specifically targeted.”
Ms. Enright said that targeting the North American visitor market following two years of declining international visitors to Ireland is central to ongoing recovery of the Irish tourism sector.
Visitor numbers this summer are down across the Irish tourism sector compared to 2019 and therefore, a key focus this winter must be on tapping into the considerable North American visitor market to ensure that we recover some of the ground lost due to the pandemic. The digital marketing campaign is evidence that Ireland as a tourism destination remains a significant draw for people in Canada and the United States.
Visit www.cliffsofmoher.ie for more information.