Piaras Kelly PR - Public Relations in Ireland

According to RTE €8 million worth of tourist bookings were made in the first half of 2005, an increase of 30% on last year. It’s no surprise really considering the bargains that can be found, especially since Aer Lingus have vastly improved their online offering.

Everybody has had a family member, friend or acquaintance tell them about a great deal they got or an offer to take advantage of. Tons of people spread the word by email or on forums as well. So why is nobody taking advantage of this in Ireland by engaging in some form of social media like, blogging, podcasting, etc?

How much more proof or obvious online behavior do you need? More importantly, look past the shores of our Emerald Isle and cast your eye on the greener grasses of America, the country that single-handily supports our Leprechaun economy.

Social media is becoming far more integrated in American society than in Ireland, so why not cater to their tastes. In terms of popularity you only have to look at the iTunes top ten podcasts, ‘live Ireland’ has resided there since its inception as far as I can see. There’s so much potential for the tourism industry when it comes to social media it’s not even funny. Podcast tours, pub blogs, etc, etc, etc.