Golf and tourism operators from Northern Ireland and across the island of Ireland attended the PGA Golf Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida recently.
 
The PGA Show in Orlando is one of the biggest golf exhibitions in the United States, attracting more than 40,000 golf professionals and enthusiasts, as well as around 1,000 influential golf journalists, each year – providing a fantastic platform to highlight our world-class golf. Tourism Ireland had 20 partners at the show this year, including five from Northern Ireland – The GolfPA, Lough Erne Resort, Hastings Hotels, Emerald Golf Travel and North & West Coast Links.
 
Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s head of North America, said: “The American golf market remains a priority for Tourism Ireland in 2015 and we will continue to promote Northern Ireland and the island of Ireland as a top golf destination, capitalising on the global success of our golfers including Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Darren Clarke and Padraig Harrington. We will also take every opportunity to highlight this year’s Irish Open and we were delighted that Graeme McDowell took the time to drop by our stand at the PGA Show in Orlando – especially as the Irish Open at Royal County Down was so prominent on our stand this year.
 
“Golf is the world’s largest sports-related travel market and Tourism Ireland is working hard to drive home the message that a golfing holiday in Northern Ireland is about much more than a round of 18 holes – the combination of our world-class golf and our unique brand of hospitality plays a key role in attracting American golfers to visit.”
 
Tourism Ireland has an extensive programme of activity under way to promote golf in Northern Ireland in the United States this year – in particular highlighting the 2015 Irish Open at Royal County Down over the coming months and then at the Lough Erne Resort in 2017. Tourism Ireland’s new 60-second TV ad – with footage of Royal County Down and referencing the 2015 Irish Open – will air on the Golf Channel, and online on Golfchannel.com, around the ‘majors’, kicking off with the Masters in April; and a new print ad will appear in key golf publications. Tourism Ireland will invite influential American and Canadian golf writers to visit Northern Ireland in advance of the Irish Open, to experience our wonderful golf courses for themselves.
 
Tourism Ireland will also promote golf in Northern Ireland at various other high profile golf events during 2015, including the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in Texas, in May, and the Deutsche Bank Championship in Norton, Massachusetts, in September.  

Pictured are Paul Collins, North & West Coast Links; Alistair Cheyne, David Lyttle and Michael Hill, all Emerald Golf Travel; Billy Condon and Alison Metcalfe, both Tourism Ireland; Lynn McCool, Lough Erne Resort; John Farren, Ballyliffin Golf Club; John McLaughlin, North & West Coast Links; and Alan Maloney, Mount Falcon Estate, during the PGA Golf Merchandise Show in Orlando.