TORONTO — Travel professionals enjoyed a warm welcome and wonderful Irish hospitality as Tourism Ireland and industry partners celebrated centuries-old Ireland-Canada ties at the #IrelandGoesBeyond event in Toronto.

The Consul General of Ireland in Toronto, Claire Fitzgibbon, and Tourism Ireland served as official hosts for the luncheon, held at the Consulate General of Ireland. A fusion Irish-Canadian menu by Chef Kieran Dearie showcased traditional Irish dishes with Canadian influences.

Tourism Ireland’s Sandra Moffatt (left) and Lauren Lamonday (right) with Claire Fitzgibbon, Consul General of Ireland in Toronto (centre)

As Fitzgibbon noted, Ireland is Canada’s 10th largest source of investment and 15th largest trading partner. For travel, direct air is plentiful from Canada, no doubting giving momentum to the 35% in visitation over the past three years.

The uptown Toronto event came on the heels of Tourism Ireland’s ‘Ireland Goes Beyond’ sales mission, with stops in St. John’s, Halifax, Moncton and Montreal over four days. The sales mission brought a delegation of 18 industry partners from both the island of Ireland and Canada to the four cities, helping advisors see the wide array of potential offerings the destination has to offer to drive bookings.

The East Coast was strategically selected, leveraging its strong historical and cultural ties to Ireland and celebrating the relaunch of seasonal nonstop flights from St. John’s, Halifax and Montreal, said Sandra Moffatt, Country Director of Canada for Tourism Ireland.

WestJet will relaunch its Halifax-Dublin route this coming Sunday, April 26, followed by the airline’s re-established St. John’s-Dublin route which will take off for its second year starting May 21.

Tourism Ireland visited Moncton for the first time, meeting with travel professional in the feeder city before wrapping up the sales mission in Montreal, where Air Canada’s nonstop route takes off May 15, operating 4x weekly.

More than 300 East Coast travel professionals attended the successful series, said Moffatt. A group of 11 Irish delegates showcased Ireland’s culinary experiences, luxury accommodations and transport options, historic landmarks and activities through a series of B2B appointments.

“Canada now ranks among the top five global markets for tourism to Ireland with 35% growth in the past three years. Returning to Eastern Canada with this delegation of Irish industry partners demonstrates our commitment in the market and underscores the strong opportunity to tap into the growing demand for travel to the island of Ireland,” said Moffatt.

“Our goal is to support advisors in delivering compelling travel opportunities to their clients. Not only will we showcase exciting new products but give each attendee a true taste of that Irish spirit, offering a glimpse into how Ireland goes beyond expectations and invites visitors to forge meaningful and memorable connections.”

The 11 island of Ireland industry partners in attendance included: AC Tours Ireland Ltd.; Cronin’s Coaches; Guinness Storehouse; Hastings Hotels; Ireland’s Blue Book; Kylemore Abbey & Garden; O’Donoghue Ring Collection; Titanic Belfast; Vintage Tea Trips; and Visit Armagh.

The roadshow visited Halifax on the 114th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. Built in Belfast, the resolution of the Titanic story was in Halifax where many of the lost souls were buried. Tourism Ireland was joined by Judith Owens, CEO of TBL International Limited, the parent company of Titanic Belfast, for the Halifax stop, to discuss the Canada-Ireland Titanic connection and the increased demand of Canadian tourists.

Visiting Halifax are delegation members (left to right) Melissa Peterson, WestJet; Patrice Lavery, Hastings Hotels; Sandra Bailey Moffatt, Tourism Ireland; Ghilian Campbell, Visit Armagh; Tiernan McGee, Titanic Belfast; Lauren Lamonday, Tourism Ireland; Melissa Skanes, Goway Travel

Tourism Ireland’s delegation was also joined by six in-market partners, including tour operators Brendan Vacations, CIE Tours, Globus family of brands, Goway Travel, RIT and WestJet.

Lead image caption: Travel professionals gathered at the Consulate General of Ireland in Toronto to celebrate Irish-Canadian ties (photo credit Michelle Zimmer)