Frankfurt Tourism Promotion Hailed an Outstanding Success

Ted Moynihan, Niamh Collins, Holiday Tralee, Teresa O'Donoghue, Tralee Pipe Band, Jonathan Kelliher, Siamsa Tíre, and Sandra Leahy, Kerry County Museum, on the Tralee Float at the Höchster Schlossfest Parade

Holiday Tralee has hailed its month long tourism promotion at the Höchster Schloßfest in Frankfurt, Germany as an outstanding success.  Kieran Ruttledge, secretary of Holiday Tralee, said that over 10,000 people had visited the "Irland Pavilion" during the festival and special permission was granted by Infraserv to promote the town in the Höchst Industrial Park, where some 25,000 people are employed in high-tech industries.  Tralee and County Kerry featured prominently in a 32 page colour supplement circulated in 150,000 Frankfurt newspapers in the run-up to the festival and the media coverage afforded Tralee over the past six months was immense, he said.  Some 1,000 members of the public had registered for regular email updates on Tralee.   A new website www.urlaubtralee.de  designed by Lynda Foran and hosted by Kerry County Council has been launched and regular e-zines in German are to be circulated to subscribers over the coming months.  

Kieran thanked Tralee Town Council,  Fáilte Ireland South-West and Tourism Ireland in Frankfurt for all their support.  He paid tribute to the local members of Holiday Tralee, Kerry Airport plc and Tralee Golf Club who helped co-fund the promotion with Failte Ireland and Tourism Ireland.  He thanked Tralee’s German Partners, Vereinsring Höchst, for selecting Tralee as its international partner for 2009 and for all the organisation's help and co-operation in the run up to the event and generous hospitality extended to the Tralee groups who participated in the festival including Siamsa Tíre, Rose of Tralee, Oileán, Tralee Pipe Band, Spalpín, Brown Bread Demonstrators Eleanor and Thomas Collins, and artist Michael O’Regan as well as Niamh Collins and Katalin Stvorecz from IT Tralee who staffed the stand and were the pleasant and welcoming face of Tralee for the duration of the festival.  Bord Bia also assisted with the Irish Food Fair on the final weekend and Stena Line ferry company with the transport of props and exhibition material.  Ray Garvey, son of Ann and former Kerry Garda Chief Fred Garvey,  who has achieved international fame in Germany with the rock band Reamonn paid a courtesy call on July 5 to lend his support to the promotion.

Ryanair, as part of its support of the promotion. offered a 1000 free flights from Hahn to Kerry and local accommodation providers are providing special rates to German visitors.  The goal is to attract an additional 5,000 visitors to the town and county over the next year.

Festival Chairman Thomas Meder with German speaking Holiday Tralee staff Katalin Stvorecz and Niamh Collins.

Former Mayor of Tralee Cllr. Ted Fitzgerald,  Jürgen Vormann, CEO Infraserv, Thomas Meder, Chairman, Vereinsring Höchst, and Mayor of Frankfurt Frau Petra Roth celebrate the opening of the Schlossfest on June 13.

Spailpin on Stage

German Rose selection.

Ray Garvey with sister Anita (left), father Fred, Sean Griffin, Cllr. Johnnie Wall and Thomas Meder, Festival Chairman on his his arrival in Höchst.

Niamh distributes special offers leaflets to festivalgoers.

Christy Switzer leads Tralee Pipe Band in the Parade through Frankfurt-Höchst.

Siamsa Tíre entertain to an audience of some 2,000 people.

Enthusiastic supporter of Siamsa Tíre.

Oileán on Stage: Michael O'Shea on tin whistle, Tim O'Shea, Tadhg Kelly and Jim O'Sullivan.

Tourism Ireland Reception on July 12. (l to r):  Niamh Collins, Thomas Meder, Cllr. Johnnie Wall, Liam McHale of Bord Bia with Liam Jnr, Monika Woermann and Denise Quinn, Tourism Ireland, Frankfurt and John Griffin, Tralee Town Council.

Adrian Fahy, Ted Moynihan, Jonathan Kelliher, Simasa Tíre, Denis O'Dowd and Dick Boyle of the Grand Hotel in Höchst.

Höchst Medieval District during Schlossfest

Eleanor and Thomas Collins of Tralee Townhouse demonstrate the art of traditional Irish brown bread making.

Spalpín members Willie Kelly, Tom Slattery and Jim O'Connor.

Kieran Ruttledge, Holiday Tralee, Cllr. Marion Weil, Frankfurt City Council, Lorraine Murphy, Andrea and PJ Callinan, Cllr. Ted Fitzgerald and John O'Roarke, Mercy Mounthawk at the Schlossfest.

Ray Garvey, leader of international rock band Reamonn, with Niamh and Katalin at the Irland Pavilion