Cork Going Dutch!

28 September 2011

A group of 14 international conference and incentive meeting organisers from The Netherlands will arrive in Cork on Tuesday 27th September as part of an educational visit organised by Cork Convention Bureau (CCB) in conjunction with Aer Lingus NL.  The visit is organised to highlight the ease of access to Cork from The Netherlands which has twice daily flights from the country’s capital – Amsterdam.

During the short visit, the group will have two days packed with activities that include cultural, sporting and gastronomic activities as well as visits to some of the region’s top hotels and restaurants, showcasing the Cork region and the many benefits of hosting a successful conference or business event here.  Highlights of the visit include a Dinner at Blackrock Castle tonight which will be attended by Cork hoteliers and a farewell Seafood lunch in Kinsale tomorrow, which will be attended by County Mayor Cllr. Tim Lombard.

Seamus Heaney Chairman of Cork Convention Bureau said:“This summer the CCB has been extremely busy introducing the region to various international buyers who have the potential to bring serious revenue to the area.  With the recent international accolades from Lonely Planet and Yahoo, together with the extremely successful visit of Queen Elizabeth II, there has never been so much interest in the area.  The CCB are working hard to turn this interest into revenue for our members and for the business community at large.”

Seamus added “This visit by some of The Netherland’s most influential conference and incentive buyers is a great opportunity to showcase the Cork region to a Dutch audience. With twice daily flights from Amsterdam, Cork is an excellent destination for Dutch conferences, meetings and events. The Cork –Amsterdam route needs to be supported to ensure its continuity and by bringing in these buyers we are encouraging more business on this route.”

The visit, which has been several months in the planning is a culmination of private and public bodies working together.   Also playing a pivotal role in bringing this group to the region has been Tourism Ireland NL and Aer Lingus.