A prestigious group of top destination management companies from the Republic of Ireland who specialise in the incentive market arrived in Northern Ireland yesterday to experience its appeal as a world-class destination for incentive visitors.
The trip was organised by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board to help establish Northern Ireland as a premier destination for this niche market and provide the tourism industry with a distinctive platform to sell their product to a key international audience.
Incentive travel offers custom-tailored programmes to unique, quality destinations as a motivation for company employees or partners and is an important high yield sector which can deliver significant economic benefits.
NITB Business to Business Manager, Willie Lougheed, said, “It is very encouraging that we easily attracted 15 representatives which is the largest group of its kind ever to visit Northern Ireland on such an educational trip and is testament to the continued interest in our tourism and incentive product.
These companies have clients in our key international markets of North America and Europe and bring a high volume of business to the island of Ireland. I am confident that when they explore our incentive offering, Northern Ireland will get a fair share of this lucrative trade.
Northern Ireland is very much open for business as a world class destination for both the business and leisure visitor and we will continue to work in partnership with key industry stakeholders, such as destination management companies, to achieve our common goals for growth and development.”
NITB devised their itinerary which showcased key incentive products including the Merchant Hotel, Galgorm Resort and Spa, the Slieve Donard Hotel and Montalto Estate.
