Ireland third in the world for effectiveness of its tourist marketing and branding

A study by the World Economic Forum has ranked Ireland third out of 136 in the world for the effectiveness of its marketing and branding to attract tourists. The index forms part of the biennial Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report and shows that Ireland has moved from number five in the world, when the index was last compiled in 2015, to number three. Placing them ahead of countries including Spain, the UK, the US, Australia and France.

In recent years Tourism Ireland has made significant gains in the development of its digital footprint, particularly in social media. As reported by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) the national public service broadcaster of the Republic of Ireland, Tourism Ireland's CEO Niall Gibbons said: "The international tourism marketplace is an extremely competitive one and we are constantly looking at innovative and engaging ways to reach potential holidaymakers, to ensure the island of Ireland stands out from other destinations,"

Last year, Tourism Ireland’s programmes created an estimated positive exposure worth €385m in equivalent advertising value. The organisation has almost 3.9 million active fans on Facebook and has almost 400,000 followers on Twitter. One of their successes has been Tourism Ireland's annual Global Greening initiative for St Patrick's Day. This continues to grow with almost 300 iconic sites and landmarks taking part this year, including the Great Wall of China, the Colosseum in Rome, the Sacré-Cœur basilica in Paris, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.