Tourism Ireland teams up with WeChat to attract more Chinese tourists
Xinhua
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DUBLIN, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Tourism Ireland announced on Thursday that it has joined forces with WeChat, a popular social media platform in China, to attract more Chinese tourists to the island of Ireland.    "The partnership involves a new mini-program on WeChat, called 'Explore Ireland' -- designed to make it as easy as possible for prospective Chinese visitors to choose the island of Ireland," said Tourism Ireland in a press release.    The online guide features information on visas for travel to Ireland, festivals, hotels, tourist attractions, a map navigation, and a translation function, said Tourism Ireland, adding that Chinese visitors to the island of Ireland can also complete their tax refund on any purchases made in the island of Ireland within the mini-program.    China is the largest outbound travel market in the world and one that Tourism Ireland is committed to growing over the coming years, said Aisling McDermott, Tourism Ireland's Manager Asia and Middle East.    "Given the importance of social media in China, we are delighted to partner with WeChat to raise awareness of the island of Ireland among Chinese travellers," said McDermott.    Tourism Ireland plans to double the Chinese visitor number to the island of Ireland to 200,000 in 2025 from an estimated 100,000 in 2019.    Tourism Ireland is an organization co-funded by the governments of Ireland and Britain's Northern Ireland to promote the island of Ireland overseas as a leading holiday destination in the world.    Last year, the island of Ireland attracted over 11 million overseas visitors, said Tourism Ireland.