Holiday World Show Dublin welcomes over 25,000 visitors
Travel professionals received a significant number of bookings at the RDS Simmonscourt
Holiday World Show Dublin, which took place this weekend, in the RDS Simmonscourt saw over 25,000 visitors looking for expert travel advice, show-only deals and the opportunity to win holiday prizes.
Maria Hourican, CEO, Business Exhibitions, organisers of Holiday World Show, said “This year’s show was filled with new exhibitors, new energy and excitement. Visitor numbers met our expectations with a lot of people invested in holidays off the beaten track. Exhibitors were delighted with the turn out and level of bookings.”
At the Holiday World Show 2024, the DiscoverIreland Home Holiday Pavilion was once again very popular among visitors. From Cork to Donegal, outdoor adventures, attractions and accommodation exhibitors showed off their corner of the country. Fans of camping could climb into tents, caravans and motorhomes as well as take a tour inside built holiday homes. Sarah Nolan, Head of Donegal Tourism said, “The show has been a great success. We attended with fifteen Donegal businesses, it is a great way to kick off Donegal promotions in 2024 especially this year as we were awarded the Lonely Planet Best Place in the World to visit.”
New exhibitors like Latvia, Malaysia, Uganda, Antigua & Barbuda and Ethiopia were big attractions for visitors. Mathilda Stanisclas, Marketing Executive with Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board said, “We were busy with people who have already been to Malaysia. They were singing praises of Malaysia, saying how friendly the people were and are planning to visit again in the future.”
Travel industry professionals were impressed by the level of bookings made over the weekend as well as the thirst from the Irish public for travel experiences, with Angela Walsh, President of the Irish Travel Agents Association saying “The Holiday World Show is a very important event on the Irish travel agent’s calendar. People are tired of the cold and dull winter, and are ready to plan their holidays. 2024 has started strong for the travel trade and there is no sign of bookings slowing down. Interesting trends that we are seeing include intergenerational holidays where families are looking to spend more time together. People are also leaning towards experiential holidays where they can go out and do things instead of just relaxing, although that is important too.”
Beatriz Acuña Perez, Lanzarote Tourism, “We have no booklets left, we were almost too busy! We attend about 40 exhibitions each year but Holiday World is the only show where we have our own Lanzarote stand. It is a really important exhibition for us. We love Irish people!”
Other Holiday World Show 2024 highlights included stage performances from Peru Fusion, Slovak Folklore Ensemble Ostroha, Flamenco Dancer Irene from Robles Real State and traditional Irish musicians from Sligo and Donegal. There was a dedicated Kids Zone, that hosted the Aer Lingus art competition for young aspiring artists.
Holiday World Show Dublin 2025 will take place from 24th to 26th January 2025. Visit www.holidayworldshow.com to keep up to date with show announcements.
