Ireland wants to attract people of Irish descent back home to mark the 100-year anniversary of the Easter Rising.
The centenary of the Rising will take place in 2016 and tourism bosses are keen to mark the occasion by welcoming back as many Irish ex-pats as possible.
The Irish Independent report that a marketing campaign will be aimed at the diaspora rather than Irish citizens or foreign tourists because they: “wish to engage with Irish culture on a deeper level than… the general tourist market”.
Domestic tourists ‘already engaged’
It is thought that the Easter Rising would be a ’harder sell’ to other types of visitor. Domestic tourists are ‘already engaged’, while foreign tourists don’t always have enough knowledge of Irish history to be fully aware of the importance of the Rising.
Director of strategic development Aidan Pender intends to create apps and online content for tourists to help them understand the wider story of Ireland’s battle for Independence which culminated in the Easter Rising.
Failte Ireland will work with Dublin City council to produce maps, panels and signboards to create an ‘Independence Trail’ in Dublin.
Tourism Ireland are encouraged by the success of ‘the gathering’ which encouraged several of the diaspora to return home last year.
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