PIC SHOWS: US luxury travel agents at Lough Eske Castle with Simon Petka, Lough Eske Castle (back row, second left); and Siobhán Naughton, Tourism Ireland (front row, second left).
~ Travel professionals check out ‘standout’ experiences for LGBTQ+ clients ~
Six travel agents from the United States, all specialists in luxury travel, are visiting Ireland this week, as guests of Tourism Ireland, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism NI.
The agents are here to find out more about the superb luxury experiences on offer for their LGBTQ+ clients, so that when they return home, they will be better informed and more enthusiastic than ever about Ireland when advising their clients about planning and booking their luxury holidays here.
Their itinerary included a VIP guided tour of Titanic Belfast, the ‘Beyond the Bridge’ experience at the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, Dunluce Lodge, the Giant’s Causeway and a guided walking tour with Belfast Hidden Tours. The group enjoyed soda bread making with Bakehouse NI and a visit to Glenshane Country Farm, before heading to Lough Eske Castle. They visited Clonalis House, took in a yoga session at Glenlo Abbey Hotel & Estate and enjoyed a guided food tour with Galway Food Tours, as well as an archery session at The K Club. In Dublin, the luxury travel agents’ itinerary included the Book of Kells, a ‘Food & Fashion’ themed tour with Fab Food Trails and a site inspection at The Shelbourne.
Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s Head of North America, said: “Tourism Ireland was delighted to invite this group of specialist luxury travel agents to Ireland, to experience at first-hand some of our luxury tourism offering, including our boutique hotels and high-end resorts. Seeing is believing and our aim is that when they return home, they will be even more enthusiastic about the destination, helping to secure a greater share of their business for Ireland in 2025 and beyond.”
