Sales teams from across the world will be in Northern Ireland this week (18-23 August) to visit key tourism attractions and experience the best in hospitality and entertainment as The Travel Corporation (TTC) chose Belfast as the location for its Global Sales Staff Conference for the first time. Founded almost 100 years ago, TTC is one of the world’s leading travel companies with a portfolio of 42 multi-award-winning brands. It organises unique holiday experiences for 1.9 million travellers every year in more than 70 countries.
Supported by Tourism NI, nearly 300 delegates will travel from the USA, Canada, Switzerland, Singapore, London, Australia and New Zealand. Representing well-known travel brands such as Trafalgar, Brendan Vacations, Insight Vacations, Contiki, Costsaver, and Luxury Gold, the main programme will include visiting landmarks and attractions across Belfast as well as gala events at some of the city’s most prestigious venues including the City Hall, St Anne’s Cathedral B and Titanic Belfast. The programme also includes the Giant’s Causeway, Titanic Belfast and street parties in Cathedral Quarter to experience local food, drink and nightlife. The conference will end with a gala dinner on 23 August showcasing the best of Northern Ireland’s hospitality.
John McGrillen, Chief Executive, Tourism NI said: “Being able to showcase our renowned tourism attractions and hospitality to TTC delegates from across the globe will allow them to sell Northern Ireland confidently as a tourism destination to the millions of customers they serve. This is an unrivalled opportunity and Tourism NI is proud to be part of a programme that will open up Northern Ireland to a new, global audience.
“We know that when visitors come here, what we have to offer exceeds their expectations. We want to grow this positive perception of Northern Ireland across the world and give even more people a reason to travel and visit. Tourism is worth nearly £1 billion for Northern Ireland. We want to double that by 2030 and we believe that tourists from international markets are the key to that. This programme will help make that ambition a reality.”
Brett Tollman, Chief Executive, TTC said: “We are delighted to host our 2019 Global Sales Staff Conferences for five of our immersive brands in Belfast, and to demonstrate our continued support for this fantastic and exciting destination. TTC has always been passionate about showcasing the amazing hospitality, culture, gastronomy and scenery of Northern Ireland to our guests and travel agent partners from around the world. It is important for us to also familiarise our international sales teams with all that you have to offer, so that they can go home and tell the story of this beautiful destination from their first hand experiences.
“During our time here, many of us will be visiting the Giant’s Causeway, which is very close to our hearts. After the site’s original Visitor Centre was lost in the devastating fire in 2000, we – through our non-profit The TreadRight Foundation (Treadright.org) – worked with The National Trust to build a new sustainable Visitor’s Centre, and to enhance the visitor experience through conservation and protection. It’s part of our ongoing commitment to make travel matter and we are equally honoured to be supporting tourism to Northern Ireland again this week.”
