Aer Lingus’ inaugural service to Minneapolis-St. Paul, gateway to the Midwest, has taken to the skies, marking the start of the airline’s 16th transatlantic route. Flight EI089 was operated by a Boeing 757, named after the Irish Saint, Saint Otteran.

Tourism Ireland is doubling its marketing investment in China, to €1 million, and will also double its marketing team to 12 over the coming months. The destination aims to grow Chinese visitor numbers to 200,000 by 2025.

Tourism minister Brendan Griffin has launched the 2019 marketing plan for Tourism Ireland in the United States at an event in New York attended by leading tour operators, travel agents and journalists from the tri-State area.

Introducing the first Big Bus Dublin bus to the city, the lord mayor of Dublin, Nial Ring, cut the ribbon alongside Phil Boggon, executive vice president of western Europe at Big Bus Tours.

Natura Bisse, the luxury Spanish skincare brand, has opened a second spa in Ireland, at the prestigious The K Club, located in a rural setting just 30 minutes outside of the bustling city of Dublin.

The Guinness Storehouse has retained its position as Ireland’s number one international visitor attraction by surpassing all previous records, with 1,711,281 guests passing through its doors in 2017. Since first opening its doors to the public in 2000, the Guinness Storehouse has welcomed almost 18 million visitors.