A Strategy to Reignite the Economy in Less Visited Parts of the Country By Attracting More International Visitors With a Clearly Defined Thematic Proposition and Brand
While areas in Ireland like Dublin are well known to international travelers and home to a significant concentration of tourism assets and infrastructure, many surrounding rural regions and small towns do not offer a compelling proposition to attract international visitors. Resonance was engaged by Fáilte Ireland to help grow international tourism in the South & East of the country by developing a Regional Tourism Development Strategy.
The goal of the Regional Tourism Development Strategy was to identify and develop a positioning strategy and identity that would be more than the sum of its parts and create a strong story and product that could be marketed internationally.
The research methodology employed a framework that examined current destination experiences, along with preferences and consumption patterns of past international visitors. Surveys in key markets and an assessment of online reviews of the destination were employed.
This work was supplemented by a program of research in the South & East, including group and individual consultations and community workshops. We engaged more than 200 stakeholders in 15 counties throughout the region in visioning workshops in order to create conceptual frameworks that could lead to a positioning.
Working in collaboration with Tourism Ireland, Ireland’s Ancient East emerged as a thematic proposition that could rally regional tourism providers and unite a wide range of experiences. The brand has made a significant impact on tourism, delivering increased visitor numbers and spending, season extension and the creation of numerous jobs in this part of the country.
