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Destination Kerry will have a stand at the CMT Fair in Stuttgart next week.
KERRY will have a strong presence at the CMT Fair, Europe’s largest consumer travel show, in Stuttgart, Germany next week (14 – 22 January).
It is the first time that the tourist trade from all parts of the county will be represented at the nine-day show and its part of the new aggressive marketing approach by the Destination Kerry Tourism Forum and Kerry County Council to attract even greater numbers of European visitors to the county.
The Destination Kerry stand will be part of the large Tourism Ireland display and be located next to the Star Wars exhibit which should attract a lot of interest. Tourism trade representatives from Killarney, Tralee, Dingle, Kenmare, Ballybunion, Castleisland, Ring of Kerry, North Kerry, Skelligs Coast, Valentia, and Kerry Airport will all be participating at different stages.
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The travel fair is expected to attract 300,000 visitors.
“The expansion of the continental European market is a key objective of the new Kerry County Tourism Strategy and Germany is the major player there,” according to Joan McCarthy, Head of Tourism Development, Kerry County Council.
Germany is Ireland’s leading continental European market and has been growing steadily in recent years with 630,000 visiting in 2015, up 13% on the previous year. Tourism Ireland is projecting a further 7% increase this year.
“46% of all German visitors visit the South-West and Kerry is their preferred regional holiday destination. Kerry County Council recently hosted a visit by TUI, Germany’s largest tour operator, which is seeking to expand its Irish business,” said Joan McCarthy.
The Ryanair flight from Frankfurt-Hahn to Kerry Airport has proved to be a major success for Kerry tourism and there will be additional direct flights from Germany to Shannon and Dublin during 2017. Kerry Airport is currently pursuing new direct routes from Northern Germany to Kerry for 2018.
