Enhance your Outdoor Offering through Experiential Tourism
An increasing trend in the travel industry is the rise of experiential tourism with more tourists than ever looking for authentic and engaging experiences that delve into the culture, history and the uniqueness of an area.
In June 2019, VisitEngland carried out research on experiential activities and stated “Experiential travel is increasingly important. Global trends reflect the desire among travellers to have authentic, immersive experiences, that combine fun with the opportunity to learn.”
This has resulted in more and more business owners marketing their businesses in new and inventive ways by focusing on providing high quality experiences.
Tourism NI’s new experience brand ‘Embrace A Giant Spirit’ promises high quality experiences which are recognisable as distinctively Northern Irish and which communicate Northern Ireland’s giant spirit. Meaning it is a valuable tool for businesses and a guide to delivering what visitors want.
If you think your business could benefit from applying the principles of experiential tourism to create visitor experiences that create longer-lasting and more meaningful memories which deliver on the Northern Ireland brand promise please read our case study below.
Case Study – Away A ‘Wee’ Walk
An outdoor activity provider who has fully embraced the ‘Giant Spirit’ brand by offering unforgettable walking experiences is Away A ‘Wee’ Walk, run by Eimear Flanagan.
Eimear studied Irish History and Politics at the Ulster University Campus in Magee which is where you would think her love of tour guiding came from but the passion to set up a walking tour business in Northern Ireland actually stemmed from her time living abroad in Dubai. Living in the desert for five years made Eimear truly appreciate what Ireland’s landscape has to offer.
In 2013, Away A ‘Wee’ Walk was one of the first local businesses of home-grown, local, authentic tourism experiences that identified opportunities to maximise our outdoor assets within the rapidly growing tourism sector here. Some of those businesses were to become the first cohort of brand ambassadors for the launch of Tourism NI’s Embrace the Giant Spirit brand in November 2019. Eimear’s unique experience initially enjoyed slow success of just a handful of customers in its first year, 100 in its second, and couple of hundred in the following seasons, until the experience enjoyed significant momentum with over 2000 customers in the 2019 season. She believes this is down to the immersive and authentic nature of her experience which is a stunning 5 mile walk from the ruins of Dunseverick Castle to the natural wonder - the Giant’s Causeway along the famous Causeway cliffs.
If you book on to Eimear’s ‘Cliff Top Experience’ which is run in partnership with the National Trust, you will literally get to discover the full UNESCO coastline, not just the section from the Visitor Centre to the Grand Causeway. The full Causeway cliffs are breath-taking throughout and to top it off you get to see the Giant’s Causeway stones from a completely unique perspective – the complete opposite way to how the majority see them. Eimear’s tour is full of interesting stories and facts giving visitors a unique insight to the history of the coast with many customer reviews saying they will cherish the experience for the rest of their lives. The different elements of Eimear’s experience - from the ‘breath-taking’ and unique views to learning about the history of the area, showcase how it lives up to the brand promise of delivering a sense of adventure, discovery and authenticity which ultimately allows visitors to feel and awaken our ‘Giant Spirit’.
Adding to her experience, Eimear commented “Many visitors to the Causeway Coast only experience it by car and stop at a lay-by on the edge of the road to take a photo of the coastline however there simply is no comparison to walking the route that will transform your experience of the causeway”. Walking the route brings visitors off the beaten track and away from the busy hotspots, contributing to the sustainability of the area.
The highlight of the Cliff Top Experience and what makes it stand out as a ‘Giant Spirit’ offering is very evident from its title. However also just as important and what Eimear hears time and time again is about how visitors love the un-manicured terrain of the walk and the fact that it is not fenced off resulting in a sense of freedom and getting it away from it all. Tourism NI’s latest Customer Sentiment Analysis (December 2021) revealed one of the top key motivators for travel (50%) is the 'need to escape/get away'.
There is a range of criteria for an experience to qualify as an ‘Embrace the Giant Spirit’ experience such as be distinctively Northern Irish, be innovative, provide contact with local people, be authentic and be available. Eimear believes one of the reasons what sets her experience apart from other walking tours is that it is available daily and can be booked online instead of just offering a handful of dates. Meaning it is readily available to anyone and everyone all year round.
Finally, Eimear wanted to convey the importance of not resting on your laurels once you have an experience established. You must continually review and improve it based on customer feedback, demand and current trends. Eimear is very proactive at this by handing out a ‘rate my tour card’ to every customer as well as by reading customer reviews online and taking note of what services potential customers request.
Away A ‘Wee’ Walk also offer a range of other public and private (small vehicle) hiking tours including day tours in the Antrim Hills, Mourne Mountains and Fairhead as well as self-guided and guided multi day tours. For more information please visit www.awayaweewalk.com and also check out her instagram stories, where she is active daily.