Collaboration – The Key to Growing Business Tourism

Pictured at the Business Tourism Industry Briefing in the Aviva Stadium are Fiona O’Sullivan, Custom Ireland, Shaun Quinn, Failte Ireland and Kersten Pace, Westin Hotel.

A strong turnout of ITOA members active in Business Tourism attended the Business Tourism Industry Briefing in the Aviva Stadium.   Ireland is aiming to build on its position as a major destination in the incentive travel sector, where companies reward employees with trips abroad, and this will be a central focus for Fáilte Ireland’s Business Tourism Unit this year.

As it is felt that there is great potential for growth in the incentives space, Fáilte Ireland today announced details of a new top-level Incentive Innovation Group to focus on winning more incentive based business to Ireland.

Keith McCormack of Fáilte Ireland’s Business Tourism Unit, stressed that the incentive sector is an area of strategic importance and has the potential to generate significant revenue for the Irish economy.   The Incentive Innovation Group, with members of the industry on board, will now identify which countries present the biggest opportunities and what buyers we need to impress to get to those markets. Over the coming months the focus will be on looking at what we have, comparing it to our competitors and developing strategies unique to each market.

ITOA President Gerry Nicholls welcomed the announcement of the Incentive Innovation Group – “ITOA is delighted to see the implementation of this group and look forward to playing an active role with four ITOA member companies participating including Aspects of Ireland, A Touch of Ireland, Custom Ireland and Wallace Travel Group.  The combined experience and expertise that our members participating will bring, in collaborating with our industry colleagues on this group will we are sure deliver much needed insights and innovative thinking to revitalize the Incentive and Corporate Meeting offering that Ireland uniquely offers.”

In 2012 ITOA members handled almost 60,000 overseas business tourism visitors who spend €73 million in Ireland.