There's no show like a Joe Show

Its early April 2023 and all of a sudden Ireland is a buzz with the prospect of US President Joe Biden coming to Ireland on Tue 11th April for a 4 day stay to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. In just a few short days the Irish media has gone from a tagline of "will he - wont he" to full on "Stars and Stripes" with all of the razzamatazz that a Presidential visit has brought to Ireland over the years with Kennedy, Reagan and Clinton.

I remember Bill Clinton coming to Dundalk in December 2000 when an estimated 60,000 people crowded into the Market Square to hear him say that "Dundalk is now a boom town" and that the troubles were now a thing of the past. I couldnt quite believe that of all the places in the World that a US President might choose to visit - he chose our wee town and it was forever put in the map alongside the efforts of our other Louth Ambassadors - The Corrs.

But working in Digital Tourism few people realise the impact that a Presidential visit will have on any location. Just look at Barack Obama Plaza and Monegal who's tills still chime from the receipts of American and Irish visitors who still go there to buy souvenirs just because a President paid a visit in 2011. Dublin, Mayo and Louth are bracing themselves as the World's media is already descending on small towns like Ballina and Carlingford. America flags are furious being sown and mounted outside venues hoping to welcome in visitors from the USA in the next week, months and years. In a time when the Tourism Industry is only just recovering from the COVID shocks any spend is welcome - especially tourism dollars.

VisitLouth.ie has already come up with its "Top 10 Things For President Joe Biden To Do in County Louth" itinerary which has had hundreds of views and an increase of 30% traffic to its website in the last week. The jewel in the crown of tourism for Louth is Carlingford which is one of the destinations for Joe Biden who has already visited has cousins the Finnegans in 2016. He is sure to put the Cooley Peninsula firmly on the International Tourism trail with a visit this month - if it isn't already there already for many. Surrounding towns and villages all along the SeaLouth Trail such as Omeath, Dundalk, Blackrock, Annagassan and more will surely benefit from curious visitors to the area as a result.

So with the eyes of the World watching out for "Cousin Joe" as he is being fondly called by his relatives here - it' s sure to be an eventful week for Tourism across Ireland ... and as they say "There's no show ...like a Cousin Joe Show".

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