Irish tourist bosses are aiming to tap into the success of Rory McIlroy, Padraig Harrington and Shane Lowry by showcasing the country as a golfing destination for American holidaymakers.
Fáilte Ireland, in conjunction with Tourism Ireland, has brought eight top US golfing media, with a combined audience of 20 million, to experience links courses in Dublin and Ireland’s Ancient East.
The Americans are getting to play top courses, including Portmarnock Golf Club; Woodenbridge Golf Club, Wicklow; County Louth Golf Club, Baltray and the Royal Dublin Golf Club.
The media represent leading online outlets such as Sports Illustrated and Yahoo Sports, TV channels such as Golfing the World and Golf Chicago TV as well as a representative from radio station CBS’s The 19th Hole Show.
Visitors from the US golfing media pictured with Rory Matthews, Failte Ireland
“Golf plays a big part in Irish tourism and we welcome the opportunity to showcase some of Ireland’s top links courses to these ‘heavy hitters’ from the US. We know we can provide world class golfing, great value for money and fantastic holiday experiences to our international visitors with more than 400 golf courses throughout Ireland, many providing a great showcase for our spectacular scenic landscapes,” said Ciara Sugrue, Head of International Publicity, Fáilte Ireland.
More than 200,000 overseas visitors play golf during their visit to Ireland every year, contributing almost €241 million to the economy, accounting for 1.6m bednights. The visitors also spend almost 80pc of their money here on non-golf activities such as accommodation, hospitality, transport and other activities.
