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About the New England Market for Ireland Tourism

The New England region consists of six states (Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island) in the Northeastern United States. It has a land area of 163,200 square kilometres and a population of 14,144,141 persons. Its population density of 86.7 persons per square kilometre exceeds that of 40 of the 50 US States, and is nearly three times as great as the US average of 30.7 persons per square kilometre.

In 2004, median household incomes in New England ranged from $60,528 in Connecticut to $42,163 in Maine. Three New England states (Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire) were among the top-10 US states for household income, and four (New Hampshire, Connecticut, Vermont and Maine) were in the top-10 for lowest poverty rates.

The shift which the US is experiencing from a primarily manufacturing economy to a primarily service economy has benefited New England, because of its highly educated population and strong research and development base. Average real incomes in the top quintile of New England households increased by 20% between 1989 and 2004, and those in the top 5% of households increased by 27%. In 2004, the average New England household income in the top quintile was approximately $185,000, and that in the top 5% was approximately $337,000.

There is easy air access to Ireland from New England. Five airlines (Aer Lingus, Continental, Delta and Fly Globespan) departing from three New England and New York airports will provide 90 direct flights per week to the Island of Ireland in the summer of 2007, serving for the first time the West Knock Airport as well as Dublin and Shannon. The recent execution of an EU/US "open skies agreement" makes further expansion of transatlantic air service likely.

New Englanders, with their high household incomes, tend to be tolerant of high travel costs. This is an important consideration for Ireland, because several factors make travel to Ireland expensive for Americans: the cost of long-haul airfare, the weakness of the US dollar against the euro, and the fact that Ireland is a high-priced destination compared to many other European countries. According to the US Travel Industry Association, "The destination or company that gets travellers interested in their offerings before the question turns to price has an advantage."

Another factor favouring New England as a source market for Ireland tourism is the high incidence of Irish heritage among New Englanders. In 2004, New England accounted for 5% of the US population and 6% of all outbound travellers, but 11% of the Irish-American population and 12% of the US visitors to Ireland. Irish-Americans are the largest ancestral group in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Boston in the fog

According to the US Census, Irish-Americans are better educated and more financially sound than the American population as a whole. 30% of Irish-Americans age 25 or older have bachelor's degrees or higher, and their annual median household income is $48,900. Compare this to the American population as a whole, with a $43,000 median household income and 24% having bachelor's degrees or higher.

Like all Americans, New Englanders use the Internet to research and book travel. Travel products made up more than one-third of all online purchases by Americans in 2005. The YPB&R/Yankelovich 2006 National Leisure Travel Monitor shows that 90% of Americans are using the Internet as a source of travel-planning information, while only 10% rely solely on travel agents. A 2006 survey by the US Travel Industry Association found that 82% of Americans who researched their trip online also purchased travel online. In 2005, for the first time, Americans booked more trips (both transportation and accommodations) online than by any other method. And online travel purchases are increasing at double-digit rates annually.

Of all US regions, only in the Pacific Northwest states of Washington and Oregon (which are 5,000 kilometres farther from Ireland) is Internet penetration greater than that of New England. Travel is by far the most prevalent type of product bought online by Americans, making up more than one-third of all online purchases in 2005.

Americans are very heavy users of Internet search for both researching and buying products and services. Eighty percent of all Internet traffic begins at a search engine - if you're not visible in search engines, American's won't engage with you offline. Nearly three out of four American travel buyers consult search engines before making a travel purchase, compared to only four in ten who visit the Web site of a specific national tourist office or destination promotion board.

Sponsored (paid) search marketing has become the most popular online advertising format in the US, accounting for over 40% of all online advertising spending and over 66% of searches resulting in visits to travel sites. In a 2006 survey of US marketers, paid search was the most highly rated online marketing tactic, chosen as "most effective" by 52% of respondents, with conversion rates of 2.8% to 6.3% depending on marketing goal.

Today's sponsored search products permit geographic targeting of potential New England visitors to Ireland by state, Designated Market Area (DMA) or city. You can use this link to see information on numbers of New England homes and persons reachable by geotargeting by state, DMA or city.