Travel professionals from down under tour kilbeggan distillery

A group of leading travel agents and tour operators from Australia and New Zealand enjoyed a tour of Kilbeggan Distillery over the weekend, as guests of Tourism Ireland and Emirates.

Tourism Ireland said the group consisted of 'top sellers' who have been responsible for bringing large volumes of business to Ireland over the past year.

The aim of the visit was to showcase some of the many experiences on offer in this part of Ireland for holidaymakers, and to enthuse the travel agents even more about the destination so that when they return home they will be better equipped to advise their clients when planning and booking their holidays.

Diane Butler, Tourism Ireland’s manager for Australia and New Zealand, said: “There is really no substitute for being able to come here and experience what Ireland has to offer at first-hand; our aim is that when these travel agents and tour operators return home, they will be even more enthusiastic about the destination, helping to secure a greater share of their business for Westmeath and Ireland.

'Tourism Ireland has an extensive programme of promotions under way in Australia this year and we are working closely with partners like Emirates, to highlight ease of access to Ireland and the attractive fares available.”

Tourism Ireland recently unveiled a new, three-year strategy to grow visitor numbers from Australia.

It sets a target of growing the number of Australian visitors to the island of Ireland by +20%, to almost 220,000 per year, by the end of 2017.