Tourism Ireland’s ‘Home of Halloween’ campaign doubles awareness of Irish origins of festival to win visitors

‘Home of Halloween’ campaign is live in 13 key overseas markets and has achieved >100 million views since launch 4 weeks ago 

Those who saw the campaign twice as likely to recognise Halloween’s origins in Ireland and 7/10 were more likely to want to visit 

Tourism Ireland estimates overseas visits to the island of Ireland for the Halloween season could be worth an incremental €60 million each year within 5 years  

As seasons change and autumn travel is now in focus, Tourism Ireland has been promoting Halloween as an iconic reason to visit the island of Ireland in autumn. A multi-market campaign went live in mid-September, to reach potential visitors in time for autumn holiday booking timelines. Halloween is a favourite calendar moment in many countries around the world, yet not everyone knows that it originated on the island of Ireland around 2,000 years ago in Celtic culture.

In the first month since launch, the campaign has achieved results reflecting a strong audience response:

• 14 million views on English language YouTube
•  >100 million views across languages and channels (TV, cinema, online)
• 200,000 research sessions focused on Halloween festivals and activities on Ireland.com
• Among those who saw the campaign, twice the level of recognition that Halloween began in Ireland and 7/10 more likely to want to visit 

Tourism Ireland estimates overseas visits to the island of Ireland over the Halloween period could be worth an incremental €60 million each year within five years, with sustained focus, supporting businesses and communities across the island. Beyond the deep traditions of Halloween on the island of Ireland, there are wonderful modern-day festivals provided by local authorities, Tourism Northern Ireland and Fáilte Ireland – such as Derry Halloween, which is the largest festival of its type in Europe, Púca in County Meath, which celebrates ancient origins, or Bram Stoker Festival in Dublin, recalling literary traditions. 

Alice Mansergh, Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland, said: “Halloween is one of the world’s favourite festivals but not everyone knows that it originated on these shores around 2,000 years ago. At Tourism Ireland, we’re excited to change that, inviting visitors to experience Halloween where it all started. There are wonderful festivals to enjoy, from Derry Halloween to Púca in Meath, Bram Stoker in Dublin, Macnas in Galway and so much more, with thanks to our partners in local authorities, Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland. We’ve been thrilled to see the positive response overseas to our ‘Home of Halloween’ campaign, including over 100 million views across 13 markets within a month of launch, twice the recognition of Ireland as the birthplace of Halloween, and an increased likelihood to visit, all teeing up substantial benefits for off-season tourism.”

The campaign launched with a 60-second film, distinctively shot in black and white to cover the early origins of Halloween in Celtic culture, before bursting into colour with modern-day festivals. The ad features landscapes and locations around the island of Ireland, including Poulnabrone Dolmen, the Giant’s Causeway, Derry-Londonderry, Craggaunowen Crannóg and Newgrange. The full campaign features a mix of promotion across TV, cinema and digital channels in 13 key tourism markets, including Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland. Watch the video on YouTube below.

To further highlight Ireland’s connection with Halloween, Tourism Ireland is rolling out a busy programme of other promotional activity, including podcasts, B2B trade events and webinars, co-operative marketing and visits by international journalists to Púca, Derry Halloween and the Macnas parade, as well as live radio and satellite TV broadcasts from Derry Halloween.