Tourism Ireland has launched a major TV advertising campaign in France. The six-week campaign, which kicked off last weekend will reach almost 20 million potential French holidaymakers on the country’s three main TV channels – TF1, France2 and France3 – as well as on a range of popular cable channels.
The campaign includes Tourism Ireland’s new 30-second ad highlighting the island of Ireland, as well as ads for the Wild Atlantic Way and Northern Ireland, targeting our important ‘culturally curious’ audience. The ads will run on prime time TV around the Six Nations French matches and news programmes, as well as on catch-up TV and video websites – encouraging French holidaymakers to put Ireland on their holiday ‘wish-list’ for 2017.
The campaign also includes a busy programme of email marketing, social activity and publicity, as well as co-operative promotions with key partners like Brittany Ferries, Irish Ferries, Odigeo, Transavia, Aer Lingus, Ryanair and Stena Line.
France is one of the top four markets for tourism to Ireland and 2016 was the fourth record-breaking year in a row for French visitors to Ireland.
According to Monica MacLaverty, Tourism Ireland’s manager for southern Europe: “2016 was the best year ever for tourism from France to Ireland, when we welcomed more than 500,000 French visitors for the first time ever. We’re delighted to have launched our high impact TV campaign, to continue to build awareness of Ireland as a premier and ‘must visit’ vacation destination for 2017. This year, Tourism Ireland will continue to create ‘stand out’ for Ireland in France, highlighting iconic experiences like the Wild Atlantic Way, the Causeway Coastal Route, Ireland’s Ancient East, Belfast and Dublin.”
