Tourism Ireland has launched a new campaign as part of its ‘Fill your heart with Ireland’ drive. Starting with St Patrick’s Day on 17 March, a series of new adverts has hit the screens in Tourism Ireland’s target development markets, including Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Spain, and Switzerland. The campaign will continue to be rolled out in other markets over the coming weeks.
The campaign is designed to play heavily on the Irish reputation for warmth and friendliness. It focuses attention on the emotional connection locals and visitors feel to Ireland. The Irish are notorious for their ability to tell a charming tale, and in the campaign an array of Irish celebrities and local characters do just that, sharing anecdotes about what they love about the ‘Emerald Isle’ and the way it fills their heart.
Viewers will recognise stars like Saoirse-Monica Jackson and Jamie-Lee O’Donnell from cult TV series Derry Girls, as well as Sharon Horgan from Bad Sisters, among those who’ve lent their faces and voices to the cause.
Tourism Ireland’s Chief Executive, Niall Gibbons, believes Ireland has something other countries cannot compete with. “Our people and welcome are key differentiators for Ireland from our competitor destinations; and this campaign puts them front and centre.”
The promotion kicked off with a synchronised TV ‘mega spot’ on the evening of 17 March. At precisely 9 pm, over 100 channels across Great Britain, including big hitters like ITV and Channel 4, broadcast a 60-second commercial aimed at reaching 7.7 million people.
The adverts will also be hosted in cinemas and on social media platforms including YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok. By the end of the first half of 2023, the campaign will have created over 100 million impressions.
It will highlight our rich and authentic experiences, breath-taking landscapes and, in particular, our warm welcome – encouraging people to put the island of Ireland on their holiday ‘wish-list’ for 2023
Niall Gibbons, Tourism Ireland’s Chief Executive
According to figures from the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) and Tourism Ireland, tourism supports 330,000 jobs in Ireland. The island saw nine consecutive years of tourism growth prior to the pandemic.
Over 7 million international tourists visited Ireland in 2022, back up to around 70% of the country’s pre-pandemic peak of 11.3m visitors in 2019. The largest numbers came from Great Britain (42%) and North America (15%). The majority of them (67%) were first time visitors staying for around one week.
