In recognition of the growing importance of the Irish market to the Great Lakes USA region, the marketing consortium that promotes the region has joined Visit USA Association Ireland for the first time.
Following the Covid pandemic, the consortium, which represents the states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Illinois and Minnesota returned to the Irish market earlier last year, ahead of two new flights going into the region in 2023.
The new Aer Lingus to Cleveland, Ohio flight starts on 19 May 2023. It will have connections from nine UK airports, operating four times a week, allowing travellers to Cleveland pre-clearance in Dublin.
Cleveland is home to a variety of unique and interesting experiences, from the famous Rock & Roll Hall of Fame through to the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The city offers world-class sports, culture, and rock ’n’ roll combined with unique outdoor recreation and complimented by an award-winning culinary scene that ranges from James Beard recognised chefs to restaurants like Sokolowski’s, which celebrates Cleveland’s strong European heritage.
The city continues to undergo a period of revitalisation as recent years have brought more than $6 billion dollars of infrastructure improvements and additions – from new hotels and apartments in downtown to multi-million-dollar renovations at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland Museum of Art and many other attractions to major investments to the lakefront and riverfront for visitors to enjoy.
Dublin is also a major connection airport for Icelandair into the region, via UK regional airports.
United Airlines will start a new daily service from Shannon Airport to Chicago O’Hare International from 26 May 2023. The service will be seasonal and the route has the capacity to add 30,000 passengers.
Chair of the Great Lakes USA consortium, Dave Lorenz, comments:
“We recognise the importance of Visit USA Association Ireland in driving awareness and traffic to the USA and are delighted to become members. This is a key time for Great Lakes USA – the increased level of interest from the trade and consumers, coupled with the new flights, is very encouraging and we look forward to welcoming travellers from Ireland into our region in 2023.” www.grealakesusa.ie
