Promoting Derry in the US

Charlene McCrossan travelled to the US with Tourism Ireland in February 2023, to ensure visitors were putting Derry on their list of must see travel destinations.

Dallas, Texas

First stop on Monday 6th February, was Dallas, Texas. Tourism Ireland hosted an evening dinner event in the beautiful Joule Hotel. We met with almost 100 tour operators and travel Agents, showcasing Ireland as a visitor destination. Included in the Ireland team alongside Martin McCrossan tours was Hastings Hotels, CIE Tours, Brendan Vacations, Guinness Storehouse , Jameson Whiskey and many more. We were sure to give Dallas a fabulous taste of Ireland.

Houston, Texas

In the early hours of Tuesday 7th February we embarked on a coach journey to beautiful Houston where we again hosted many agents and operators at the divine Briar Club. A beautiful setting to promote a beautiful travel destination!

Denver, Colorado

A 5am start on the morning of Wednesday 8th February took us to Houston airport to fly to chilly Colorado. The air may have been cold, but we certainly received a warm welcome at the Ritz Carlton in Denver. At our evening event, I was delighted to meet honorary Irish consul James Lyons, who succeeded George Mitchell in 1997 as Special Advisor to the President. Mr Lyons played a crucial role in our Peace Process and has written the book “Where Peace Meets the Streets”, it covers our pathway to peace in Northern Ireland and all proceeds from the book goes to the families of the Omagh bomb victims.

Beverly Hills, Los Angeles

Another early start on Thursday 9th February took us on a flight to beautiful Beverly Hills. The Maybourne hotel provided a perfect location to showcase our offerings to travel trade in the evening. On Friday 10th February, Tourism Ireland hosted a media lunch for many media outlets in the area – Entertainment Tonight, IGN movies, NY Post and many more! We had beautiful Irish music from the amazing Mairtin De Cogain – a perfect way to end a jam packed week!

A fantastic week showcasing Ireland and especially Derry as a visitor destination with lots of interest in our historic city and lots of laughs about Derry Girls. We are hoping that this trip has helped to get our offerings known on the US West coast and provide a welcome boost to our industry. A huge thanks is due to Tourism Ireland for putting on a fantastic event over the 5 day period and for inviting Martin McCrossan tours to be a part of it!