Tourism Ireland treated travel professionals and media to an entertaining evening last night in Sydney to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and the green nation’s growing popularity amongst Aussie travellers.
It was an entertaining evening, with two different Irish bands – The Rambling Boys and Moxie – filling the cavernous Basement venue with Celtic-inspired music as attendees were treated to a delicious two-course meal.
And drinks, of course (this is the travel industry after all) – including a Teeing whiskey tasting.
Apart from celebrating Ireland‘s national day, the evening was a chance for Tourism Ireland to say thanks to the Australian travel industry for their help in sending more and more Aussies to Ireland: 60 to 70 percent of bookings to Ireland are made through hard-working travel agents.
According to the latest stats, there has been a 23 percent increase in revenue from the Australian market, suggesting that many Aussies have “hearts of green.”
Increased interest in Ireland as a travel destination has no doubt been propelled by the popular Game of Thrones TV series, to which the local tourism sector has taken full advantage of.
There are now tons of GoT tours available to travellers, including a GoT afternoon tea!
Tourism Ireland were also keen to promote the plethora of suggested driving itineraries for travellers, as well as its “Ancient East” where visitors can wander through 5,000 years of history.
2016 is also The Year of Food and Drink in Northern Ireland. The region is famous for its distinct food culture which focuses on using only the very best local ingredients.
*Check out the KarryOn Ireland travel quiz here.