Ladies' Open is catalyst for big marketing drive

Fáilte Ireland has joined forces with Meath Tourism and Louth County Council to host a new 'Discover The Boyne Valley' campaign to coincide with the Ladies' Irish Open taking place at Killeen Castle this weekend. With thousands of people expected to attend, the event will present an opportunity to visitors to sample some of the festivals and events taking place within the Boyne Valley. The festival schedule will include acts representing many festivals from across the region, including Navan Live, the Trim Haymaking Festival, the National Guitar Festival and Traditional Music Festival in Drogheda among others. A Boyne Valley-themed cinema marquee will also be running audiovisual footage on some of the heritage sites located in the historic Boyne Valley region. The event coincides with Fáilte Ireland's launch of a new €100,000 domestic advertising campaign to encourage Irish people to visit the counties of Meath, Louth, Kildare and Wicklow this summer. The campaign, which runs until mid-August, is part of the overall Discover Ireland campaign launched earlier in the year and includes radio, newspaper and outdoor advertising. Kevin Kidney, head of operations for Fáilte Ireland in the east and midlands region, said: "This campaign will be a co-ordinated, punchy marketing campaign for this region. We in Fáilte Ireland believe there is great potential in the home holiday market this summer and are determined to put the Boyne Valley, and surrounding areas, firmly on the map." The 'Discover' weekend is part of a broader initiative developed by the national tourism development authority to promote the Boyne Valley and surrounding areas. Following consumer research in the UK and Ireland, the Boyne Valley initiative was developed, focusing on the wealth of heritage and culture products available locally. "The Boyne Valley area is particularly rich in important heritage sites and, combined with the proximity to Dublin, means there is considerable potential to benefit from the volumes of visitors, both domestic and international, who travel through the capital. We have been working closely with the local tourism providers to develop the Boyne Valley as a destination and to encourage visitors to the area to stay longer than a day trip or short break," added Mr Kidney. A new heritage guide and map have been developed and promoted through Fáilte Ireland's 'Discover Ireland' campaign both domestically and in the UK. The guide promotes the key heritage sites of the area and features a new map of the region highlighting the wide range of 'things to do and see'. Mr Kidney continued: "We are now in the third year of our Boyne Valley programme and have over 75 local tourism businesses in the Louth and Meath areas signed up as 'Champions'. The Boyne Valley has now also been recognised by Fáilte Ireland as a developing destination and a tourism network has been formed who will be working on a destination plan for the area." Tickets for the Discover Boyne Valley event are available on www.discoverireland.ie/boynevalley or by contacting the Ladies' Irish Open directly at www.aibladiesirishopen.ie/tickets