MISSION IRELAND SET TO ATTRACT MORE GERMANS HERE - Tourism Ireland yesterday launched 'Mission Ireland' - a social media campaign to boost Ireland's visitor numbers from Germany, our third-largest tourism market. Popular German blogger Kai Müller kicks off a month-long journey around Ireland today, which will see him visit almost every corner of the island, as voted for by his online community of followers in Germany.
Kai Müller says that his popular blog has about 20,000 followers and they will direct him to his various destinations around the country. He says he has spent the last couple of days in Dublin and has visited the U2 studio on Windmill Lane and some of the city's pubs. He is going to Trim Castle today, where the Mel Gibson film 'Braveheart' was shot.
The chief executive of Tourism Ireland, Niall Gibbons, says that Germans are the most important outbound tourists in the world, with more Germans making trips abroad than people from the UK and US. He says he hopes the new initiative will increase Ireland's market share of this important group and says that Tourism Ireland is spending €5m on promoting Ireland this year. This social network initiative is being supported by a big radio promotion which will reach up to 2 million people in Germany. Noting that there was a 3% increase in the number of Germans visiting Ireland in the last quarter of 2010, Mr Gibbons says he is confident the numbers will rise again.
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MORNING BRIEFS - AIB confirmed last night with the publication of its annual report for last year that former managing director Colm Doherty who left the bank in November as part of the government's injection of more capital into the bank was paid €2.7m. The report also shows that he will receive a pension of €203,000 a year when he retires.
*** The London market closed is closed today for royal wedding, while markets in Tokyo are also shut today.
*** On the currency markets this morning, the euro is worth one dollar 48.4 cents and 89.10 pence sterling.
