Putting the Visitor First: How Fáilte Ireland’s Digital Transformation Redefined Holiday Planning in Ireland amongst the domestic market.

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In 2018, Fáilte Ireland’s digital presence consisted of multiple platforms and legacy systems, creating a disjointed, complicated user experience for visitors. As an organisation, we recognised that this fragmented digital landscape hindered visitor engagement and limited our capacity to showcase Ireland’s best tourism experiences effectively. To address these issues, we launched an ambitious digital transformation project aimed at reimagining our entire digital ecosystem to provide a seamless and intuitive, visitor-centric experience.

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This initiative wasn’t just about technological upgrades; it represented a cultural shift in the organisation where we pivoted from a traditional, organisation-centred approach to one that prioritised the visitor at every step. Our overarching aim was to create an online presence that would become the go-to resource for domestic audiences planning Irish holidays, while also promoting regional tourism, short breaks, and off-peak travel opportunities.

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Key Goals of the Transformation:

• Encouraging the domestic audience to take one additional short break per year over the next three years.
• Growing the domestic short break market from €1.8 billion to €2 billion.

To bring this vision to life, we worked closely with Forsman & Bodenfors Dublin, our long-term digital strategic communications partner and All human, our digital design agency partner. This collaboration provided us with the specialised expertise we needed and ensured a strategic and innovative approach from the outset. Together, we developed a “North Star” vision for the project: to make the digital ecosystem as navigable and inspiring as Ireland itself. Our ultimate goal was not only to inform travel choices but to inspire deeper connections to Ireland’s regions, experiences, and businesses.

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This ambitious vision set the stage for a digital transformation project that would revolutionise how visitors experience Ireland, positioning Fáilte Ireland as a leader in digital tourism and elevating Ireland’s global appeal.