Tourism Ireland in co-operation with VisitBritain and Four Communications was one of the big winners at the recently held annual Middle East Public Relations Awards (Mepra) in Dubai, UAE.

The ‘One Break, Two Cities’ campaign was awarded as the Gold Winner for ‘Best Integrated Campaign’ at the ceremony.

Each year Four Communication manages a series of campaigns for Tourism Ireland to increase the awareness of the island of Ireland as a top destination to travel to from the UAE and the GCC. The ‘One Break, Two Cities’ campaign was jointly introduced with VisitBritain to highlight the ease of travelling to both destinations in one visit.

The campaign was launched in September this year and was developed to encourage visitors to Great Britain to include Ireland as an add-on destination when making their travel plans.

Amanda Burns, Tourism Ireland’s manager Middle East and Asia, said: “Tourism Ireland is delighted that our ‘One Break, Two Cities’ campaign with VisitBritain has been singled out for this award by Mepra.”

“We have been working hard to raise the profile of the island of Ireland in the Gulf countries and are constantly looking at new and innovative ways of reaching potential holidaymakers for Ireland, so we are particularly honoured to receive this award. Our ‘One Break, Two Cities’ package means GCC visitors can easily combine two or more cities, across two countries, in one memorable holiday,” she added.

Last year, Ireland welcomed about 55,000 visitors from the GCC.

Burns continued:“2014 was a record year for visitor numbers from Ireland’s long-haul markets – and 2015 is also looking positive, with the most recent CSO figures showing growth of +25 per cent in visitor numbers from our emerging markets for August to October. We recently launched our marketing plans for next year, which will see us build on this year’s growth, to make 2016 another record year for tourism.”

The ‘One break, Two Cities’ combinations feature any city in Ireland and Britain, including suggested routes such as Cardiff to Dublin, Edinburgh to Cork or London to Belfast.

Sumathi Ramanathan, VisitBritain’s regional director - Asia Pacific & Middle East said: “We are honoured to receive a gold award for the one break two cities campaign from Mepra.”

“This award is a testament to the strategic collaboration between VisitBritain and Tourism Ireland in creating cutting edge communication and value proposition for visitors. The campaign showcases the very best of what the two countries have to offer in order to encourage more visitors to explore the beautiful landscapes and the amazing places tourists can find on their travels from Countryside, Culture and Heritage,” she added. – TradeArabia News Service