Disneyland link bids to lure visitors to Ireland

Tourism chiefs are going green this week to attract Disney fans to Ireland.

In a promotional first, Tourism Ireland has linked up with the Disneyland Resort in Paris to market holidays during its St Patrick’s Day celebrations.

Thousands of international visitors will pass through specially constructed information villages.

Tourism Ireland chief executive Paul O’Toole said: “The Disneyland Resort Paris parade and party is an exciting opportunity for us to reach a captive audience of around a quarter of a million people who are, by virtue of the week that’s in it, well-disposed to Ireland and who are also in a holiday mood.

“Several thousand of these visitors will be family groups and we will use this opportunity to promote family, as well as other holidays, throughout the island of Ireland, with a special focus on the more rural parts of Ireland.”

Tourism Ireland hopes to capitalise on the global interest in all things Irish this week by hosting consumer, media and trade events all over the world, from Tokyo to Toronto.

A potent mix of sports and St Patrick will be used to promote the island at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia with Northern Ireland fielding a team and Olympic hero, Dame Mary Peters, speaking at the high-profile Irish Chamber of Commerce Breakfast.

Mr O’Toole added that visits by Cabinet members to key tourism markets play a very important part in raising Ireland’s profile around this time.

“People instantly identify St Patrick’s Day with the island of Ireland,” he said. “We are envied by many tourism agencies around the world who would love to have such a well-recognised occasion associated with their country.”