The Clare Collection joins Tourism Ireland’s sales mission to the United States

Some of the main tourist locations and attractions in County Clare were showcased during a recent sales mission which visited four key cities in the United States of America.

Tourism Ireland, together with a delegation of 14 tourism companies from Ireland – including The Clare Collection, five American tour operators, Aer Lingus and Delta travelled to Detroit, Indianapolis, Nashville and Charlotte as part of the ‘Best of Ireland’ mission.

Owned and operated by Clare County Council, The Clare Collection, represents a portfolio of tourist attractions across the Banner.

An estimated 4,000 commercial meetings with 200 US travel advisors took place during the week-long sales misson, to drive partnership and tourism growth over the coming years.

The schedule included a B2B event in each city, as well as interactive presentations showcasing Ireland – with the participating companies promoting and selling their products and services to the American travel agents in attendance.

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Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s Head of North America, said: “The ‘Best of Ireland’ sales mission to Detroit, Indianapolis, Nashville and Charlotte provided an excellent platform to highlight the many things to see and do, and all that is new and exciting, on a holiday in Ireland in 2025.

"It’s a great opportunity for our tourism partners from Ireland to inform and influence the travel professionals they meet about what the island has to offer and, importantly, to encourage them to include the destination in their future programmes and recommend it to their clients."

Ms Metcalfe says the United States remains an extremely important market for tourism and that air access is a key part of the picture.

"This year, there are direct flights from 21 different US gateways, including new services from Detroit, Indianapolis and Nashville, with thanks to Aer Lingus, Delta and airport partners. The mission is also a fantastic opportunity to update travel professionals in those gateway cities about the new direct flights to Ireland and, ultimately, to inspire even more US travellers to choose Ireland in 2025 and beyond," she added.