Tourism Ireland clocks up more than half a million Facebook fans

WITH A little help from the Titanicand a Riverdanceflash mob, Ireland has become the third "biggest" country on Facebook, with more than half a million fans.

Tourism Ireland’s Facebook fanbase had grown sixfold over the last year, the State agency said, leaving Ireland just behind the number two destination, Britain, and trailing the most “liked” Facebook destination, Australia.

“Ireland as a tourist destination does punch above its weight,” said Mark Henry, central marketing director at Tourism Ireland. “You would be surprised – it’s a bit of a dream destination.”

Some €1.1 million of Tourism Ireland’s €43 million budget for 2011 has been allocated to social media, with initiatives including the launch of “Ireland Town”, a Farmville-style game developed by Irish company Betapond.

It has attracted 213,000 players, the agency said, and generated more than half a million “shared items”, such as virtual postcards.

For its 2012 advertising campaign, the agency plans to use marketing insights gleaned from online search data, cross- referenced with information provided by 12,000 US entrants to a Facebook holiday contest.

Although visitor numbers to Ireland have been on the increase this year, there is as of yet no way of calculating whether viral successes such as Tourism Ireland’s St Patrick’s Day “flash mob” at Sydney’s central station – which secured 1.8 million YouTube views – are contributing to bookings.

“Every organisation finds it difficult at the moment to draw a direct line between social media interaction and purchase,” said Brian Harte, head of customer engagement and e-marketing.

And while its Twitter team suggested holiday destinations to people who tweeted about the BBC's Terry Wogan's Irelandand Monty Hall's Great Irish Escape, Mr Harte admitted the agency had not "cracked Twitter yet".