Tag Archives: Niall Gibbons

Ireland has announced the adoption of the EU’s new Digital Covid Certificate. This will enable more seamless travel for tourists and will be extended to vaccinated visitors from outside of the EU, including the GCC countries, and will allow certain travellers to visit the island. Ireland will begin the scheme on 19 July, meaning that travellers with the approved vaccinations will then be able to visit Ireland without the need for a test or quarantining. Tourism Ireland and the tourism industry have been actively planning for the restart of international travel. The organisation is now ready to roll out a significant promotional kick-start campaign to entice and welcome back international visitors. The tourism industry has been preparing to ensure visitors will have a great holiday on the island of Ireland in 2021. The health and safety of all visitors will be a priority, but the island is sure to still bring a very warm Irish welcome and a great holiday experience. Approved vaccinations which will be accepted for travel to Ireland includes; •             2 doses of Pfizer-BioNtech Vaccine (regarded as fully vaccinated after 7 days since second dose) •             2 doses of Moderna Vaccine (regarded as fully vaccinated after 14 days since second dose) •             2 doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccine (regarded as fully vaccinated after 15 days since second dose) •             1 dose of Johnson & Johnson/Janssen Vaccine (regarded as fully vaccinated after 14 days since second dose)  Travellers from the GCC will be able to travel to Ireland provided they have received the full course of any one of these approved vaccinations. These rules apply to Ireland only and excludes Northern Ireland which will be subject to the UK …

The first day of the maiden Tourism Ireland virtual roadshow concluded with over 250 buyers and 300 meetings across the Middle East with 28 partners from the island of Ireland. Niall Gibbons – Chief Executive – Tourism Ireland welcomed everyone to the event, “I’m delighted to welcome many friends and partners from all across the Middle East region and the island of Ireland to this our first virtual event, Ireland meets the Middle East 2021. Now as we all know the global travel and tourism landscape has been decimated by covid, but I’m confident that we will see a return, that’s why it’s so important to maintain and develop the relationships that we have seen blossom in the last decade with all our friends and partners in the Middle East, so I wish you well today and thank you for all your support. We have a great industry here at home, great connectivity to airlines like Emirates and Etihad, and we have our national day on 17th March and it has been terrific to see the support growth in the region by buildings lighting up green for our national day, also the UAE national colour too. So thanks again for your support, look forward to seeing you all in the real world very soon. I’ve enjoyed my many visits to the Middle East over the last 10 years and I look forward to seeing you again. Stay safe and well and thanks again for your support and good luck for today.”  

Inaugural virtual trade show for the Middle East hosted by Tourism Ireland will kick off on March 8-9, 2021 from 2 to 5pm UAE time. Niall Gibbons, Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland shared how the tourism offerings in Ireland has evolved with the covid 19 pandemic and the safety of the destination. “We strongly believe 2021 will see the restart of international travel. Tourism Ireland is actively planning for that restart with a three-phase plan – restart, rebuild and redesign. The priority for 2021 will be to restart tourism to the island of Ireland through a significant kick-start campaign, which will be launched across 12 markets, including the GCC, when the time is right to drive bookings and revenue for tourism businesses. It will deliver a very clear ‘book now’ message to create demand for holidays across the island of Ireland. Tourism suppliers from all sectors across the Island of Ireland have been implementing the newly required health and safety measures without compromising the holiday experience that makes Ireland so special and the great Irish welcome that we’re famous for. Tourism Ireland’s research consistently highlights the island of Ireland as one of the destinations holidaymakers will be most comfortable visiting when international travel resumes.” He further stated the partners and how it will all work out during the two day event. “Twenty-five tourism suppliers from around the island of Ireland will be taking part in Tourism Ireland’s first virtual trade show in the Middle East. The two-day B2B event in partnership with TravTalk Middle East aims to promote the island of Ireland’s exciting holiday experiences and to reassure the travel industry that we are ready to welcome their clients as …

Tourism Ireland is gearing up for their first ever virtual roadshow with the Middle East travel trade on March 8-9, 2021 between 2pm and 5pm UAE time. Niall Gibbons, Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland stated, “Twenty-five tourism suppliers from around the island of Ireland will be taking part in Tourism Ireland’s first virtual trade show in the Middle East. The two-day B2B event in partnership with TravTalk Middle East aims to promote the island of Ireland’s exciting holiday experiences and to reassure the travel industry that we are ready to welcome their clients as soon as possible. This virtual event will highlight Ireland’s boutique hotels, castles and luxury resorts and self-catering accommodation offerings in addition to the wide variety of superb culinary scene, world-class golf, outdoor, soft adventure and screen tourism experiences on offer across the island, which all boast the necessary safety charter measures.” Siobhan Naughton, Trade Executive Middle East & Asia, stated, “Tourism Ireland is looking forward to hosting its first virtual roadshow in association with TravTalk Middle East for GCC travel trade across the region in March on the 8th and 9th March. Over the course of these two days travel trade will have the opportunity to have 1-2-1 meetings with 25 key Island of Ireland industry partners who will showcase the accommodation, attractions and activity offering across the Island. There will also be an opportunity to meet the team from Tourism Ireland who are based here in the region and to discuss how we can all work together to help to promote this exciting destination.”

Travel from the UAE to the island of Ireland has seen strong growth from January 1st until June 30th, according to travel statistics released by dnata Travel. Compared to the same period (H1) in 2018, UAE locals and residents have been visiting Ireland in greater numbers, drawn to its diverse landscape full of lush greenery and vast natural beauty.  Over the first two quarters of the year, 58 per cent more bookings to Ireland were made through dnata Travel’s platforms, and room nights booked have also increased by 72 per cent. Antonio Fellino, Vice President of Retail and eCommerce for dnata Travel UAE, commented: “Trips to Ireland with dnata Travel offer UAE travellers unique opportunities including the chance to stay in a grand castle, or a small cottage at the heart of a colourful local village, or to explore rugged, scenic landscapes that follow in the footsteps of their favourite Game of Thrones characters.” Additional data indicates that sales of trips and accommodation to Ireland increased nearly two-fold during Eid Al Fitr alone, as compared to last year. This correlated to the travel provider noting that online searches for holidays to Ireland have seen a 675% augmentation in the first six months of this year. The most preferred destination for travellers from the UAE market was to Dublin, with 95 per cent of hotel bookings made through the dnata Travel platform favouring the capital city, followed by the cosmopolitan city of Cork. Visitors from the region have been found to reinforce their preference for luxury accommodation whilst abroad, as 47 per cent of hotels booked were for 5-star properties, followed by 4-star and 3-star hotels respectively. The ever-strengthening relationship between …

Tourism Ireland CEO Niall Gibbons has unveiled the Emirates Airline and Tourism Ireland Sales Mission at Jumeirah Creekside Hotel, Dubai. The Sales Mission is part of Tourism Ireland’s continued efforts to drive tourism from the UAE to the island of Ireland and provides unique networking opportunity for Irish suppliers and the UAE travel trade community. With six speakers, five presentations and a networking session followed by a series of one to one sessions with Irish suppliers, the mission was attended by 90 tour operators and included a key note speech from Gerald Lawless, Head of Tourism and Hospitality at Dubai Holding. Nine Irish suppliers attended the mission, including DMC’s, hotels, retail outlets and attractions. The Sales Mission showcased the island of Ireland’s filming locations of hit TV series Game of Thrones and blockbuster movie, Star Wars. During his visit to the UAE, Gibbons also met with Mohammed Al Rais, CEO of Al Rais Travels. Tourism Ireland and Al Rais Travel have recently joined together to bring one of the region’s top bloggers, Taim Al Falasi, to tour the island of Ireland. During the Sales Mission, Al Rais Travel launched a new seven day itinerary ‘Taim’s Ireland Experience’, allowing fans of the blogger to follow in her footsteps and experience the island of Ireland.  As part of the destination’s focus on innovation to attract new audiences, Tourism Ireland also invited agents and partners to view a series of Virtual Reality Films during the roadshow which brought stunning itineraries to life including The Wild Atlantic Way and Belfast City through personal VR viewers made available to attendees.