Clare Golf Club showcased at International Golf Travel Market in Lisbon

Eighteen golf and tourism operators from Ireland, including Dromoland Castle Golf Club in Clare, joined Tourism Ireland at the International Golf Travel Market in Lisbon.

The four-day event saw 1,300 golf travel professionals from around the world travel to the Portuguese city.

Established under the framework of the Belfast Agreement of Good Friday 1998, Tourism Ireland is the marketing organisation responsible for promoting the island of Ireland overseas as a leading holiday destination.

This is the second full year of trading for tourism since the pandemic. By the end of 2023, the combined revenue estimate for the island of Ireland from overseas tourism was an astounding €6.4 billion.

At the Expo, companies from Ireland engaged in four days of one-to-one, pre-scheduled appointments. They also attended various networking sessions, where they negotiated and exchanged vital contracts for 2025.

Around 900 commercial meetings were conducted on the Ireland stand during the event.

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Aisling McDermott, Tourism Ireland’s Head of Global Partnerships, said: “IGTM is a fantastic opportunity to showcase our world-class golf. This is just one element of Tourism Ireland’s busy promotional programme to encourage more golfers from around the globe to consider a holiday in Ireland. Our message is that Ireland offers international golfers the complete package – with some of the very best golf in the world, spectacular scenery and the warmest of welcomes.

“We’re also taking every opportunity to highlight the fact that The Open will return to Royal Portrush in 2025 and the Ryder Cup will take place at Adare Manor (in Limerick) in 2027. Tourism Ireland will be pulling out all the stops once again to leverage the tourism potential of these prestigious sporting events in our important golf markets around the world,” she added.