Guest guide launched

IRISH hotel and guesthouse owners have launched a marketing offensive to drum up business for next year with the launch of the 23rd annual Be Our Guest Guide.

The publication is aimed at both home and overseas market, and 300,000 copies will be distributed in 22 countries to act as a marketing vehicle in the ongoing battle to attract a bigger share of the overseas tourism market.

Sponsored by Diageo, the guide includes accommodation listings for 750 hotels and guest houses in every county.

It also provides four comprehensive sections on spa and& leisure facilities, golfing, angling, and conferences and &meetings facilities.

The guide features 106 properties offering spa and leisure breaks, 178 hotels and guesthouses offering comprehensive golfing arrangements to their guests, either on site or by arrangement with local golf courses, as well as 60 properties catering for the needs of anglers.

The Conferences & Meetings section provides details of 223 properties offering designated conference facilities targeted at business tourism.

Irelandhotels.com is the guide’s online version with booking facilities; it provides guests with speedy access to the best deals and special offers which are upgraded daily.

- IN the 18th century, the traditional travel preference of the wealthy was to undertake a grand tour. Danube Express (www..danube-express.com) has re-enacted similar type holidays for the modern day tourist by rail and titled it – not surprisingly – the Grand European Tour.

According to the company, the Danube Express will whisk passengers past stunning scenery to destinations of cultural importance and into the heart of some of Europe’s most beautiful cities on an eight-day voyage of discovery from Budapest via Vienna, Prague and Transylvania to Istanbul.

All of this doesn’t come cheap – the May, June and September 2010 departures are priced at £6,300. It probably is outside most budgets these days, but the company does expect to get some interest in the Irish market.

- The Irish National Heritage Park (INHP) in Wexford has revamped its retail and dining facilities. New product ranges have also been introduced in order to attract a wider Irish audience in the facility.

Located on a 35-acre site on the outskirts of Wexford town, the INHP attracts over 55,000 visitors per year.

Steeped in heritage, the park features crannógs, ring forts, Norman forts, a Celtic farm and water mill. A walk through, boasts the INHP, is akin to a stroll through 9,000 years of Irish history.

While very successful during the tourist season with foreign visitors, the Irish National Heritage Park decided to introduce some new elements in order to attract Irish visitors during the non-tourist season and, they say, it’s working.

Visit www.inhp.ie for more details.