Julie Burkard,Karen O’Sullivan Fáilte Ireland, Cadene Sandrine, Mssoud Pascale and Viktoria Varecza Tourism Ireland ,French Incentive Buyers say ‘Bonjour’ to Cork.A group of influential incentive buyers from France, who were on a ‘Meet in Ireland’ familiarization trip, the visit was hosted by Fáilte Ireland’s Meet in Ireland team, pictured at the Montenotte Hotel.
A group of influential incentive buyers from France, who were on ‘Meet in Ireland’ familiarization trip, were shown around Cork to learn more on how they can programme Ireland for future high-end incentive programmes for their corporate clients in France.
For the majority of the French buyers, this was their first time to travel to Ireland. The visit was hosted by Fáilte Ireland’s Meet in Ireland team, in collaboration with Tourism Ireland and the Cork Convention Bureau.
Paul Mockler, Fáilte Ireland’s Head of Commercial Development, explained –
“This type of visit with influential incentive buyers from France provides us with a really good opportunity to highlight what it is that sets Ireland apart – world-class venues and incentive experiences, ease of access, amazing landscapes, top hospitality and incredibly strong industries. We look forward to welcoming more business tourists from France next year and beyond.
“Business tourism is the most lucrative form of tourism, with visitors travelling to Ireland for business purposes spending almost three times more than the average visitor. Already this year, Fáilte Ireland has secured €115m worth of meetings, conferences, incentives and corporate events for Ireland under their ‘Meet in Ireland’ and ‘Dublin Convention Bureau’ brands and supported the Regional Convention Bureaux in Cork, Kerry, Shannon and Galway to convert a further €10m for their regions.”
A bespoke itinerary was designed for the group to showcase what Cork has to offer and included a tour of the City in vintage cars from the Montenotte Hotel; a trip to Cork City Gaol; a food tasting experience at the famous English market; whiskey sampling at Jameson Distillery Midleton; a guided Titanic Experience tour in Cobh and a short walk to the harbour for a sea safari across Crosshaven. The group head to Dublin this weekend for some site visits together with a visit to Windmill Lane Recording Studios (U2 historical studios), EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, and a City tour on the Vintage Bus.
Evelyn O’Sullivan, Cork Convention Bureau commented:
“We are so delighted to welcome our French guests to Cork. Often referred to as Europe’s best-kept secret, Cork is a City and County that’s rising at the moment with over 1,300 new hotel beds planned over the next 2 years including a luxurious floating hotel on the river. Cork is known as the food capital of Ireland and the English market that this group will be visiting is proof of this accolade. Cork – it really is fit for a queen!”
Photography by Gerard McCarthy 087 8537228
