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US travel agents visit Inishowen
14.10.09
by Simon McGeady, Inishowen Independent
INISHOWEN'S tourism industry received a timely boost
this week with the visit of a group of American
travel agents to the peninsula.
Five travel agents, from North Carolina, Las Vegas,
Chicago, Napa Valley and Salt Lake City, visited the
Inishowen Maritime Museum last night. Today
(Tuesday) they will take a tour of the peninsula.
They group stayed at the Carlton Redcastle Hotel.
Speaking to the Inishowen Independent, Catherine
Elliott, the travel agent from the Chicago area,
said that Americans were still keen to come to
Ireland on vacation.
“From my own point of view there is no substitute
for seeing a destination with your own eyes. The
enthusiasm of the [travel agent] is what sells a
location. Having seen somewhere you can then make a
valid case for it.”
Mrs Elliott said she hoped to be impressed by what
Inishowen had to offer.
“Americans who book their holidays through my
company are big into what you might call ‘upscale’
accommodation. Many are golfers. I am fascinated to
see the hotels and try out the cuisine you have
here. I also want to see how easy it is to get
around.” |
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With US visitor
numbers to Ireland in decline, Inishowen is fighting
for a slice of a smaller tourist pie.
“For their first trip to Europe, Americans don’t
tend to come Ireland, they choose somewhere like
[Paris], but for subsequent trips many are attracted
to somewhere like Ireland. Of course there are
always those Americans who come here to look up
their Irish roots. My own husband, who is with me
this week, has roots in the Belfast area,” said Mrs
Elliott who insisted that Americans still wanted to
know if it was safe to come to Northern Ireland. The
US travel agents opinion on this question is bound
to have implications for visitors considering coming
this far north.
The US travel agents are in Ireland for six days.
They have already visited Dublin and the Giants
Causeway, and the Ulster American Folk Park, among
other places.
Their visit was made possible by California’s In
Quest of the Classics, a company that specialises in
custom-designed travel arrangements for ‘the
discerning client.’
What Inishowen lacks in internationally renowned
landmarks, it can make up for in hospitality,
according to Mrs Elliott. “The welcome of the people
is what can sell somewhere like this peninsula.” |
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