Cork is to enjoy an amazing opportunity to showcase its great tourism product to some of America’s top travel writers as Fáilte Ireland hosts attendees for the prestigious Travel Classics International Writers’ Conference taking place in the Lyrath Hotel, Co Kilkenny, from Thursday, May 18 until Sunday.
 
Fáilte Ireland, in conjunction with Tourism Ireland, bid and beat out other international competitors to host the Travel Classics International in Ireland this year.
 
While the event takes place, Fáilte Ireland are organising tailored trips for attendees to sample the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland’s Ancient East and Dublin - giving the delegates a fantastic opportunity to generate many interesting stories and articles for top-tier travel and lifestyle publications around the US.
 
The visiting American writers will visit Hayfield Manor, the Cobh Heritage Centre and a Titanic walking tour of Cobh, Youghal Clock Gate Tower and St Marys Collegiate in Youghal and will also visit Garnish Island next Sunday.
 
Regarded by many as the world’s foremost networking event for travel writers and editors, it is a major coup for Irish tourism that the 2017 conference will take place here. It brings together celebrated editors from a wide range of high profile publications – including titles like Condé Nast Traveller, National Geographic Traveller and Harper’s Bazaar – – which have a combined circulation of 87 million.
 
Pointing to the potential of the conference for Ireland, Minister of State Patrick O’Donovan TD said: “Hosting the conference in Ireland offers a unique opportunity to bring the top influencers in the American travel media here to sample our culture, hospitality and tourism product first hand. I am delighted to see that Fáilte Ireland has crafted delegate trips to highlight the very best our country can offer with unique and authentic story ideas to stimulate coverage and to profile what makes these locations stand out in the international arena.”
 
Welcoming the promotional opportunity, Paul Kelly, CEO of Fáilte Ireland said the organisation was looking forward to hosting so many top level writers: “Ireland, with its friendly people and stunning landscapes, will provide fantastic copy for the travelling writers. Indeed, with so much on offer in Dublin, Ireland’s Ancient East and the Wild Atlantic Way, the story almost writes itself. This visit, involving so many influential US publications, is a great opportunity for us to influence what potential American visitors will be reading in the months to come.”
 
Welcoming the opportunity to influence the influential US market, Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said: “We are delighted to welcome the Travel Classics International conference to Ireland. Regarded by many as the world’s foremost networking event for travel writers and editors, it’s a major coup for Irish tourism that the 2017 conference is taking place here. With some of the most influential and prominent American travel and lifestyle journalists in attendance, this is truly a superb opportunity to show them at first-hand what makes Ireland unique. It will bring huge exposure for what Ireland has to offer American holidaymakers.”