Tourism Northern Ireland Sales Platforms
Tourism Northern Ireland organise a number of platforms to provide NI industry with the opportunity to engage and connect with international buyers.
Attendance at these platforms can be very beneficial, particularly if you are just starting to look to market your product/experience internationally.
Meet the Buyer Workshop
Meet the Buyer is Tourism NI’s flagship travel trade event. It takes place annually and has grown substantially in recent years. This event usually takes place late March / early April each year.
The event attracts a wide range of pre-qualified international buyers from NI’s core markets. Local industry representatives have the opportunity to meet with the buyers in a series of 1:1 appointments at a workshop.
A series of pre workshop fam trips is often will offered to the buyers, maximising the opportunity to showcase the destination to them during their stay. A half day mentoring session is also held a few weeks before the event for industry planning to attend for the first time, or returning after time away to ensure they are adequately prepared and equipped to get the most from their attendance at the workshop.
ITOA Workshop
ITOA is Ireland’s Incoming Tour Operators Association, who represent 34 of the most prolific tour operators/DMC’s and PCO’S on the island of Ireland.
In 2024 their members delivered 699,000 overseas visitors to Ireland including group tours, independent traveller’s, incentives and conferences generating €640.2 million for the economy. Northern Ireland accounted for 10.3% of this activity, making it the third-largest region on the island of Ireland, up from 9% in 2023. These figures provide supporting evidence of the positive impact the ITOA workshops have in strengthening visibility and demand for the region.
The format of the event involves a networking lunch, afternoon workshop and networking dinner.