Tourism Ireland hosts 16 global inbound tour operators across 5 counties from Sligo to Antrim

Sixteen global inbound tour operators are exploring Ireland this week as guests of Tourism Ireland Fáilte Ireland and TourismNI.

They took part in last week’s B2B workshop in Sligo connecting with 55 Irish tourism companies to negotiate for their programmes for 2027 and beyond. The tour operators who are based in England, France, Italy, Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia and Brazil deliver business from all over the world. They are preparing to sign contracts for 2027 and beyond so it is a key time to influence the addition of new tourism products to their programmes that have the potential to deliver more regional and longer-stay business for Ireland.

As well as attending the workshop the tour operators are also taking part in a fact-finding visit to experience the high standard and variety of Ireland’s tourism offering. Their itinerary includes The Shed Distillery Arigna Mining Experience Atlantic Sheepdogs and Hanna Hats of Donegal. The group also enjoyed a tour of the walls in Derry the Guildhall Shirt Tales NI The Chocolate Manor The Bushmills Inn The Courthouse Shared Space Creative Hub in Bushmills the Giant’s Causeway Belfast Traditional Music Trail Titanic Belfast and a tour of The Bedford Hotel.

Aisling McDermott, Tourism Ireland’s Head of Global Partnerships, shared: “Tourism Ireland is delighted to host these leading global inbound tour operators to Ireland and showcase the experiences that make our destination so special. From our spectacular landscapes and rich heritage to our warm welcome, we hope their visit will inspire them to include even more Ireland content in their programmes and itineraries and encourage new operators to feature Ireland for the first time. Ultimately, this helps us attract more international visitors and grow tourism across the island.”