The largest ever indigenous web-project undertaken on the island of Ireland was launched today by Tourism Ireland.
The launch of www.discoverireland.com marks the first phase of a €2.6m global web development project for Tourism Ireland, which will promote the island of Ireland as a holiday destination in 27 markets worldwide in 14 different languages.
The new website features information from a database of over 30,000 tourism products including accommodation, festivals, attractions and events. Information will be updated on a daily basis.
Speaking at the launch of the new site in Belfast, Arts, Sport and Tourism Minister John O'Donoghue welcomed what he called the 'unprecedented' level of cross-border co-operation underpinning its development.
'The new website provides potential visitors with a wealth of constantly updated information and I commend the agencies and tourism partners across the island of Ireland for working so closely together to provide this invaluable data,' the Minister said.
'Discoverireland.com also offers a truly dynamic user experience which will encourage not just looking, but also booking and I have no doubt that it will drive even more business to tourism enterprises, both urban and rural,' he added.
Meanwhile, the national tourism development authority, Fáilte Ireland, says it is targeting 1,000 B&B operators to participate in 29 one day workshops in 15 venues all over the country this spring.
The workshops are designed to help B&Bs get online and to secure bookings directly from visitors all over the world.
The initiative is part of Fáilte Ireland's strategy to secure the future for the B&B sector, which has experienced a range of pressures in recent years. These include increased hotel capacity, a rising cost base and tight labour market, regional imbalance and the age profile of operators.
The number of approved guesthouses has declined by almost a quarter since 1998, to about 3,200.
