‘Tourism is good for whiskey and whiskey is good for tourism,’ Alice Mansergh CEO of Tourism ireland has told delegates at the launch event for the Irish Whiskey Way in Kilbeggan distiillery.
Whiskey tourism brings the right kind of visitor to Ireland and has become an integral part of the Irish tourism, Alice Mansergh, CEO of Tourism Ireland, told the launch event of the Irish Whiskey Way in Kilbeggan:
“Huge congratulations to every distillery experience here. Collectively you welcomed one million visitors last year – that is growth of over 20 per cent year-on-year. Tourism has been good for whiskey and whiskey has been good for tourism.
This collaboration helps us sell the island of Ireland overseas. Whiskey is a big, authentic story for us. I was astonished when I was told the first written reference to aqua vitae – which became uisce beatha and then whiskey – appears in the Red Book of Ossory in Kilkenny in 1324, before the Black Death. That is how far back distilling goes on this island.
Visitors do not come just to taste whiskey; they come for the history of place and people right across the regions. We love weaving that story into our global marketing. Last year we ran a consumer campaign focused on Irish whiskey that reached three million views. We also love when the distilleries join us overseas – Minister Burke saw this at World Travel Market recently, where you helped sell directly to tour operators who bring visitors from around the world.
The Irish Whiskey Way perfectly complements how we want to sell Ireland in the future.”
