Tourism Ireland has announced that One World Trade Center in New York – the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex in New York and the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere – will join the Global Greening initiative this year.
The new landmarks in the first-half marketing drive include:
- City Hall in London
- Heron Tower in London
- Plaça de Catalunya and the fountains on Gran Via in Barcelona
- Pozzo di San Patrizio (St Patrick’s Well) in Orvieto
- The four principal monuments in the town of Cosenza (Calabria)
- City Hall in Antwerp (a UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- The Cloth Hall in Ypres
- Matsue Castle in Japan
- Gwangandaegyo (Diamond Bridge) in South Korea
- A rhino statue in Nairobi National Park, as well as an Ethiopian Airlines airplane in Addis Ababa
- The famous red carpet in Cannes (le tapis rouge lumineux) will become the ‘green carpet’ on March 17
The new sites will join the London Eye, Nelson’s Column and Selfridges department store in London, the Colosseum in Rome, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Burj al Arab in Dubai, the Roue de Paris, the ‘Welcome’ sign in Las Vegas, Niagara Falls, the Empire State Building, the Sky Tower in New Zealand and the Great Wall of China.
In Chicago, Navy Pier, the John Hancock Center, the Wrigley Building, the Civic Opera House, One Prudential Plaza and Chicago Gaelic Park will be greening up. Tourism Ireland’s global campaign – now in its eighth year – kicks off the organisation’s first half promotional drive to grow overseas tourism in 2017.
Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Shane Ross said: “From modest beginnings in 2010, the Global Greening initiative has grown to become a significant worldwide reminder of both St Patrick’s Day itself and also of Ireland and its appeal as a visitor destination. From a tourism perspective, the true value of the Global Greening initiative is in the huge level of public interest and consequently media coverage that is generated about St Patrick’s Day and Ireland. The Global Greening is a prime example of the strong return on public investment that is provided by Tourism Ireland’s overseas marketing activity, which is reflected in Ireland’s exceptional tourism performance. From the perspective of our Irish Diaspora, it is gratifying that their contribution to the fortunes of other nations is recognised so visually around the globe.”
Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, and Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross, at the launch of Tourism Ireland’s Global Greening initiative 2017. Photo: Naoise Culhane
Minister of State for the Diaspora and International Development Joe McHugh said: “The willingness and desire of so many to be involved in celebrating our national day is symbolic of the great friendship and respect that exists between Ireland and so many countries around the world and demonstrates the uniqueness of the St Patrick’s Day celebrations. The celebrations allow us to deepen existing friendships, to strengthen awareness of Ireland and our rich heritage and to forge new ties.
“Tourism Ireland’s Global Greening initiative creates a visual calling card, a reminder of home to our diaspora spread across the globe and sparks the interest of those as of yet unfamiliar with the great heritage that our national day celebrates.”
Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said: “The eagerness of cities and countries everywhere to take part underlines the strength of the deep connection that people all over the world feel to Ireland. More than 70m people around the world claim links to the island of Ireland and St Patrick’s Day is a truly unique opportunity to reconnect them with their heritage.
“Our St Patrick’s programme this year will span Great Britain, Mainland Europe, North America, Australia, as well as emerging tourism markets such as China and India. There will be saturation coverage of the island of Ireland across the airwaves, in newspapers and digital media – and that’s an invaluable boost at this time of year for our overall tourism marketing drive for 2017.”
- Watch here Niall Gibbons speaking at Tourism Ireland presentation on global greening,
- Watch here Shane Ross speaking at Tourism Ireland presentation on global greening,
- Watch here Joe McHugh speaking at Tourism Ireland presentation on global greening.
- Watch here Niall Gibbons on Tourism Ireland’s estimates for growth in inbound Irish tourism in 2017 of 1pc
- Niall Gibbons says Tourism Ireland’s journalist hosting programme costs €2m and yields €234m watch here
- Watch here Niall Gibbons speaking on the impact of the removal of Ireland’s Aviation tax
- Watch here Niall Gibbons speaking on the criteria for buildings to be included in Ireland’s St Patricks Day global greening campaign
- Watch here Shane Ross speaking on the extensive travel programme for Ireland’s cabinet ministers this St Patrick’s Day
- Watch here Niall Gibbons says Ireland’s St Patrick’s Day Global Greening campaign is worth €10m in publicity
- Watch here Shane Ross says there are no further road blocks on Norwegian AI’s proposed routes from Cork and Shannon to New York and Boston
- Watch here Comments on the 9pc VAT rate and aviation tax by Tourism Minister Shane Ross
- Agallamh le aire Joe McHugh, An tAire Stáit um an Diaspóra agus Forbairt Idirnáisiúnta
Great Britain (first time greenings marked with asterisk)
- London Eye
- Nelson’s Column, London
- Heron Tower, London *
- City Hall, London *
- Selfridges, London
- Selfridges, Birmingham
- Trafford Centre, Manchester
North America
United States
- One World Trade Center (formerly Freedom Tower), New York *
- Empire State Building, New York
- Aisling Irish Community Center, New York
- Civic Opera House, Chicago
- Chicago Gaelic Park
- Irish American Heritage Center, Chicago *
- John Hancock Center, Chicago
- Navy Pier, Chicago
- Novak Construction, Chicago
- One Prudential Plaza, Chicago
- Sheraton Grand Chicago
- State Street, Chicago
- Wrigley Building, Chicago
- ‘Welcome’ sign, Las Vegas
- City Hall, San Francisco
- Pacific Science Center, Seattle
Canada
- Niagara Falls (on both the Canadian and US sides)
- Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa
- The Distillery District, Toronto
- Whistler (ski resort)
Mainland Europe
Austria
- Wiener Riesenrad (Giant Ferris Wheel), Vienna
- Bergisel Sprungschanze Stadion (ski jump), Innsbruck
Belgium
- Manneken Pis statue, Brussels (“dressed” in Irish costume)
- City Hall, Antwerp *
- Cloth Hall, Ypres *
- Town Hall, Mons
Finland
- Irish Ice Fishing Championship, Tampere *
- Restaurant RantaCasino, Heinola
Croatia
- Bandić fountains, Zagreb *
Cyprus
- Municipal Town Hall, Nicosia
France
- Roue de Paris, Tuileries Gardens, Paris
- Irish Embassy, Paris
- Tapis rouge lumineux (red carpet), Cannes*
- L’Hôtel de Ville, Cannes
- La Croisette, Cannes
- Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, Cannes
- Tour de la Castre au Suquet, Cannes
Germany
- Neumünster church, Würzburg
- Rathaus (Town Hall), Würzburg
Italy
- Colosseum, Rome
- Leaning Tower of Pisa
- Pozzo di San Patrizio (St Patrick’s Well), Orvieto *
- Teatro Alfonso Rendano (Rendano Theatre), Cosenza *
- Castello Normanno-Svevo(Swabian Norman Castle), Cosenza *
- Municipio (Town Hall), Cosenza *
- Fontane Danzanti (Dancing Fountains), Cosenza *
Latvia
- Riga City Council
Poland
- Palace of Culture and Science, Warsaw
- University Bridge, Bydgoszcz
- Spodek (arena), Katowice *
- Galeria Echo (shopping centre), Kielce
- Father Bernatek (Kladka Bernatka) footbridge, Kraków
- Lipska Street flyover, Kraków
- Tauron Arena, Kraków
- Arena Lublin
- Ratusz (Town Hall),Poznań
- Stadion Wroclaw
- Ratusz (Town Hall), Rzeszów
Portugal
- National Sanctuary of Cristo Rei (Christ the King statue), Lisbon
- Museu Condes de Castro Guimarães, Cascais
The Netherlands
- Windmill, Weert
Romania
- Sheraton Hotel, Bucharest *
Slovakia
- Radisson Blu Carlton Hotel, Bratislava
Spain
- Plaça de Catalunya, Barcelona *
- Fountains on Gran Via, Barcelona *
- City Council, Murcia *
Switzerland
- The Rhine Falls, near Zurich
Australia and New Zealand
Australia
- Town Hall, Sydney
- State Library of New South Wales, Sydney
- Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), Brisbane
- Perth Airport *
- The Bell Tower, Perth
- Council House, Perth
- Elizabeth Quay, Perth
- State Library of Victoria, Melbourne
New Zealand
- Sky Tower, Auckland
Emerging markets
Brazil
- Christ the Redeemer statue, Rio de Janeiro
- Sede da FIESP (headquarters of Federação das Indústrias do Estado de São Paulo), São Paulo *
China
- Great Wall of China
Ethiopia
- Ethiopian Airlines Airbus A350, Addis Ababa *
Israel
- Water Tower, Ramat Gan (near Tel Aviv) *
Japan
- Torii of the Ise Grand Shrine, Ise, Mie Prefecture
- Matsue Castle, Matsue *
- Karakoro Art Studio, Matsue
Kenya
- Rhino statue, Nairobi National Park *
Mozambique
- Fortress of Maputo *
Palestine
- Yasser Arafat Museum, Ramallah *
Russia
- Tverskaya Street, Moscow
Rwanda
- Kigali Convention Centre, Kigali *
South Korea
- Gwangandaegyo (Diamond Bridge), Busan *
United Arab Emirates
- Burj Al Arab hotel, Dubai
Uganda
- Equator Sign and Line, Uganda
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