Luxury US travel agents discover Ireland

Ten American travel professionals are exploring the island of Ireland this week – as guests of Tourism Ireland, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism NI.

The travel advisors are all specialists in luxury travel and are members of Virtuoso, a high-profile travel agent network. They design unique, luxury travel itineraries for their American clients. The aim of the visit is to familiarise the travel advisors with the island of Ireland and our superb luxury tourism offering, so that when they return home, they will be better informed and more enthusiastic than ever about Ireland when advising their clients about planning and booking their holidays here.

The group’s action-packed itinerary – designed by Adams & Butler – includes breakfast at Trump International Doonbeg, the Cliffs of Moher, a falconry experience at Ashford Castle, Glenlo Abbey Hotel, lunch in a fisherman’s cottage on Inis Oírr, Adare Manor, Dromoland Castle, the Irish National Stud and Gardens, the Culloden Estate and Spa, Hillsborough Castle and EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum.

Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s Head of North America, said: “Tourism Ireland was delighted to work with Virtuoso, to invite this group of specialist luxury travel agents to visit the island of Ireland, to experience at first-hand some of our luxury tourism offering, including our boutique hotels and high-end resorts. Seeing is believing – and our aim is that when they return home, they will be even more enthusiastic about the destination, helping to secure a greater share of their business for the island of Ireland in 2024 and beyond.”

PIC SHOWS: Virtuoso travel advisors from the United States, with Hillarie McGuinness, Tourism Ireland (fifth left); and Siobhan Byrne Learat, Adams & Butler (left), at Adare Manor.