Promoting The Causeway Coastal Route to the travel trade in Britain

Seventeen (17) tourism companies from around Northern Ireland and the island of Ireland '“ including the Causeway Coastal Route '“ joined Tourism Ireland at the British Tourism and Travel Show, at the NEC in Birmingham.
Liz Steele, Causeway Coastal Route and Judith Cassidy, Tourism Ireland, at the British Tourism and Travel Show. inbm16-16sLiz Steele, Causeway Coastal Route and Judith Cassidy, Tourism Ireland, at the British Tourism and Travel Show. inbm16-16s
Liz Steele, Causeway Coastal Route and Judith Cassidy, Tourism Ireland, at the British Tourism and Travel Show. inbm16-16s

The British Tourism and Travel Show is an annual event for the travel trade in Britain – attracting more than 3,000 coach tour operators and group travel organisers, including leading travel companies like Albatross Travel Group, Expedia.com, First Choice Holidays and JacTravel.

The two-day event provided a valuable opportunity for the participating companies from Northern Ireland to meet, and do business with, key players in the British travel trade – encouraging them to introduce Northern Ireland into their programmes for 2016 and beyond, or to extend the programmes in which the island of Ireland already features.

Vanessa Markey, Tourism Ireland’s Head of Great Britain, said: “Great Britain is the largest market for tourism to Northern Ireland and we were pleased to see visitor numbers increase by +12% in 2015, an extra 383,000 visitors compared with 2014. Tourism Ireland is determined to ensure that tourism growth continues. Our presence at this year’s British Tourism and Travel Show is just one element of our programme of activity with the travel trade. Our aim is to enthuse the GB travel trade, including online and traditional travel agents and tour operators, so they feature more island of Ireland holidays in their programmes for 2016.”