FÁILTE IRELAND’S NEW campaign to attract British visitors to Dublin during the low season period will be launched tomorrow – and its tagline has left us with a few questions.

‘Dublin is what happens in between’ is the new mantra of the tourism push aimed at our closest neighbours, and we’re not quite sure what that means (Dublin is what happens between north America and continental Europe, perhaps?)

In its press release, Fáilte Ireland said that the campaign “seeks to promote the unexpected variety of experiences on offer to those who visit Dublin”.

Building on the visitor experience of Dublin, where even a simple plan can develop an unexpected dimension and interesting things happen in between, the seeks to draw on makes Dublin unique – explicitly stating that what makes visiting here so memorable, is what happens in between.

So what we think they’re getting at is that the most unique part of Dublin is the unexpected occurrences that happen in between the main events.

Fáilte Ireland Fáilte Ireland

Tomorrow, €1.6 million overseas marketing campaign will be launched in Great Britain to market Dublin to the ‘culturally curious’ of our Anglo neighbours.

Here’s what the campaign will look like:

• A billboard campaign in Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Glasgow and Edinburgh
• National UK radio and print media including Classic FM and the Guardian
• Digital advertising, search, screen takeovers
• Social media advertising and content.

The campaign is being financed by Fáilte Ireland, Dublin hotels, local restaurants, the four Local Authorities and a number of key partners in the city and county.

Brexit

Fáilte Ireland Fáilte Ireland

In this week’s budget, it was announced that a reduced rate of VAT at just 9% would be retained by the industry to protect them against any hit that Brexit might have on the country’s tourism industry.

Chairman of the Grow Dublin Advisory Board Michael Carey said that although Dublin’s tourism had a “really good year”, they had to look further ahead and at the effect Brexit might have.

Noel John McLoughlin, director of marketing with Fáilte Ireland, agreed:

“While Brexit poses a challenge for Irish tourism in the British market, it also challenges our European competitors who seek to target that market also. By targeting those segments with the most potential, we hope to gain a competitive edge and win additional British business for Dublin during that quieter part of the year.”

‘Dublin: a Breath of Fresh Air’ campaign was launched by Paschal Donoghue last year and seeks to drive awareness and understanding of the city and county of Dublin.

Read: Two Irish siblings find out what life was like in Victorian London in this new BBC series

Read: Good news for tourism businesses – their 9% VAT rate is safe