Tourism Ireland launches ‘Ireland Unrushed’ global campaign

‘Ireland Unrushed’ slow tourism campaign live in 15 key overseas markets and set to reach over 100 million through publicity and advertising’

Tourism Ireland has launched its new ‘Ireland Unrushed’ global campaign, encouraging visitors to enjoy journeying around Ireland at a slower pace this summer and beyond. The campaign is live for the month of May across 15 key overseas markets, on leading video platforms, social and digital channels. Now in its second year, ‘Ireland Unrushed’ will build on the success of last year’s campaign and will achieve reach of over 100 million through publicity and advertising.

Overseas tourism is worth over €6 billion annually to the economy on the island of Ireland and around 10% of jobs are supported by tourism and hospitality – six out of ten of those jobs depend on overseas visitors. This summer, there are 3 million seats on planes monthly scheduled to fly to the island of Ireland. Given the current macro-economic uncertainty, Tourism Ireland is committed to generating demand for travel to fill those planes with overseas visitors – keeping businesses and communities strong, sustaining our all-important air routes and helping visitors to enjoy what Ireland has to offer. Co-operative marketing campaigns running this summer with airlines and ferry companies will drive visitor demand for strategic air and sea routes, delivering a 15:1 return on investment.

The ‘Ireland Unrushed’ campaign includes a series of videos highlighting breathtaking landscapes and ‘slow tourism’ activities – from travelling along inland waterways by boat or on greenways by bike, to journeying by train to cities like Galway, Cork, Dublin or Belfast; and from experiencing locally grown produce on a coastal food tour to exploring local beaches, villages and hiking trails. In early testing, the campaign videos achieved over 90% persuasion scores, a measure of their ability to drive a change in consumer consideration for Ireland.

Click here to view the video for Galway, Connemara & Aran Islands; and to view the Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands video click here.

The campaign includes a specially created page on Tourism Ireland’s international website, Ireland.com, highlighting ten ‘hero’ journeys which showcase slower-paced and more immersive holiday ideas to prospective overseas holidaymakers.

Alice Mansergh, Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland, said: “We are excited to launch our new ‘Ireland Unrushed’ campaign today, inviting our overseas visitors to connect with our nature, culture and communities. More than ever, people need moments of calm and our campaign is all about positioning Ireland as the perfect place to create deeper connections with people and place, at a slower pace. Tourism Ireland is targeting visitors who are seeking a sense of exploration on their trips and our ‘Ireland Unrushed’ campaign is showcasing enjoyable journeys and highlighting experiences in nature and in local communities – helping to keep tourism businesses strong.”

Supporting the campaign, Tourism Ireland’s publicity activity will highlight ‘slow tourism’ experiences in Ireland in international media outlets such as Lonely Planet, Vanity Fair Italia and The Independent in Britain. Tourism Ireland is also partnering with Condé Nast Traveler in the US and Canada, reaching potential visitors through ‘Ireland Unrushed’ themed articles and social posts.

Tourism Ireland is championing tourism SMEs across Ireland by sharing some of the amazing slow tourism initiatives on offer, which give visitors a chance to slow down and enjoy more enriching travel.