This past Tuesday publisher & CEO Francis X. Gallagher and I took a trip to New York City to hear details about Tourism Ireland’s 2020 marketing strategy. Responsible for marketing the island of Ireland as a key business and leisure destination, Tourism Ireland has marketing programs in 23 markets across the world and reaches more than 600 million people per year.

Tuesday’s event focused primarily on its North American marketing strategy, with speakers including Niall Gibbons, CEO, and Alison Metcalfe, executive vice president, North America & Australia/New Zealand.

As the second-largest source market to Ireland, both Alison and Niall mentioned how North America plays such a key role in the island’s tourism industry. North American visitors tend to take longer stays in Ireland and are heavy users of premium accommodations and visitor services, almost tripling Great Britain’s annual spend while on vacation there.

While most people usually visit Dublin, Galway or Cork, an effort is being made to promote the lesser-known destinations. You can get the full Irish experience basically anywhere you go throughout the island — this is the focus of Tourism Ireland’s well-known “Fill Your Heart with Ireland” campaign, which encourages people to “take a trip beyond the ordinary and let Ireland capture your heart.”

What lies ahead for Tourism Ireland in 2020? A lot. The full media plan, built around interest, intent and planning, includes promotions through TV, streaming, digital and content partnerships with well-known personalities. Given the island’s allure as a golf destination, Tourism Ireland always stayed close to the sport, but 2020 will also include a broadcast sponsorship with ESPN during College GameDay for the Notre Dame vs. Navy game in Dublin, Aug. 29. If you plan on booking a trip and want to balance out your football with some literary history, check out this article by Holly Riddle.

— Christopher Sager, account executive