International travel buyers explore Donegal through Shared Island tourism initiative
Overseas tour operators experience Donegal's coastal, cultural and craft tourism offering before connecting with tourism businesses at inaugural Shared Island Tourism Workshop
A group of international travel buyers from key overseas tourism markets recently visited Donegal as part of a familiarisation programme organised by Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland through the Shared Island tourism initiative, before attending the inaugural Shared Island Tourism Workshop in Derry.
The buyers, representing tour operators and travel companies from Great Britain, Spain, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and the United States, experienced some of Donegal's leading visitor attractions and tourism experiences across the northern section of the Wild Atlantic Way.
During their visit, the group experienced the iconic Sliabh Liag Cliffs, Glencolmcille Folk Village, Sliabh Liag Distillers, Donegal Castle, Magee of Donegal, Hanna Hats and Wild Ireland, showcasing the region's unique blend of spectacular landscapes, culture, heritage, craftsmanship and immersive visitor experiences.
The familiarisation visit formed part of a wider Shared Island tourism initiative designed to strengthen connectivity between the northern section of the Wild Atlantic Way and the Causeway Coastal Route, creating opportunities to develop compelling visitor itineraries that encourage overseas visitors to stay longer, explore more of the island and deliver greater economic benefits to local communities. Alongside the Donegal programme, buyers also participated in familiarisation visits in Sligo and Derry.
Following the visits, the buyers attended the inaugural Shared Island Tourism Workshop, where they met tourism SMEs from Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim and the Causeway Coastal Route region. The workshop facilitated more than 1,500 commercial meetings between tourism enterprises and international travel buyers, helping to create new business opportunities and support future tourism growth across the island.
Joan Crawford, Wild Atlantic Way Manager at Fáilte Ireland, said: "International travel buyers play an important role in shaping future visitor demand and creating opportunities for tourism businesses. These familiarisation visits allowed buyers to experience the quality, authenticity and diversity of the tourism offering across Donegal and the wider region at first hand."
"By combining immersive destination visits with direct business engagement through the Shared Island Tourism Workshop, we are helping tourism enterprises build relationships with key international tour operators and identify opportunities for future inclusion in travel programmes and itineraries. This supports our ambition to grow overseas tourism, encourage longer stays and maximise the economic benefits of tourism for local communities."
The Shared Island Tourism Workshop is part of an all-island tourism brand collaboration and marketing initiative developed by Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Northern Ireland and Tourism Ireland, with funding provided through the Government of Ireland's Shared Island Fund. The initiative aims to enhance visitor experiences, develop world-class tourism products and grow the economic impact of tourism across the island.