Belfast to host world’s top travel influencers at global summit

Belfast will be in the social media spotlight later this year as more than 50 of the world's top travel influencers and tourism industry leaders gather in the city for a two-day summit focused on travel marketing.

Following the award-winning success of the 2016 conference held in Inverness, the Social Travel Summit will return to the UK in September. The UK’s national tourism organisation VisitBritain is sponsoring the summit, to promote the UK internationally, along with support from Tourism Northern Ireland. 

Now in its fifth year, the Social Travel Summit is one of the leading global conferences for professional travel influencers. Organised by travel influencer network iambassador, the summit gives world-class travel influencers and tourism industry leaders the opportunity to brainstorm innovative approaches to digital marketing, as well to learn about the latest trends and insights in digital marketing and its influence on travel. The two-day conference includes keynotes by industry experts, panel and roundtable discussions, and ample networking opportunities.

Emma Mead - Head of Global PR at VisitBritain / VisitEngland said:

“We know the powerful role social media plays in promoting the UK to overseas visitors so we’re thrilled to be working in partnership with iambassador again to build on the success of the 2016 conference.

“We’re looking forward to shining the spotlight on the UK’s vibrant cities, breath-taking countryside, innovative food and drink scene, and rich cultural heritage to inspire influencers to share their stories globally and drive more overseas visitors to book a trip to the UK.”

VisitBritain previously hosted the event in 2016, which saw more than 110 delegates from 25 different countries attend the global summit in Inverness, Scotland. The summit and post-conference trips across Britain resulted in more than 400 images, 135 blog posts and over 3,500 social posts being shared online, reaching millions worldwide.

As part of the summit, the leading travel influencers will undertake trips across the UK to showcase the variety of experiences on offer. Individual itineraries will be planned with destination partners to promote the UK to international visitors – with trips themed around the passions that motivate people to travel. The tours will shine the spotlight on unexpected experiences and less-explored destinations, alongside globally renowned and iconic landmarks and attractions – aligning with VisitBritain’s new global campaign, I Travel For.

Iambassador Chief Executive, Keith Jenkins said:

“We’re very excited to bring the Social Travel Summit back to the UK in 2018, this time to Belfast! We’re looking to build on the award-winning success of #STSInverness 2016 by working together with our partners VisitBritain and Tourism Northern Ireland, to raise the bar yet again.

“With many innovative marketing concepts borne out of the thought leadership sessions and networking opportunities, the summit has greatly raised the level of understanding of digital marketing in travel – since the conference began in 2014.”

Welcoming the announcement that the Social Travel Summit will be held in Belfast in September, Chief Executive of Tourism NI, John McGrillen commented: 

“Social and digital media play an integral role in the international marketing of Northern Ireland’s thriving tourism industry. Securing the hosting rights of the Social Travel Summit presents a unique opportunity to tap into the significant influence of the world’s leading travel bloggers. The high level discussions about the future of online travel marketing will provide invaluable insight for the local industry as we aim to attract more out of state visitors to Northern Ireland than ever before.”

Social media is at the heart of VisitBritain’s global marketing campaign, I Travel For, based on its global research into people’s motivations, passions and inspiration for travel including adventure, fun, relaxation, discovery, culture, food and drink and the unexpected. Research by VisitBritain shows the influence social media has in positioning the UK as a destination of choice for international visitors, offering unparalleled opportunities to engage directly with potential visitors in a timely way, with the right messages, demonstrating an understanding of their world and motivations for travel.

UK travel and tourism businesses including tour operators, destination management organisations and digital marketers or travel industry representatives interested in attending the Social Travel Summit, which takes place from Tuesday 25 to Wednesday 26 September in Belfast, can find out more at https://thesocialtravelsummit.com.

Tourism is worth £127 billion to the UK economy creating jobs and boosting economic growth across its nations and regions.

-ENDS-

Supporting imagery of Belfast can be downloaded here.

Notes to editors

VisitBritain

Overseas visits to the UK are forecast to break through the 40 million mark for the first time in 2018, reaching 41.7 million, up 4.4% on 2017. Spending by overseas visitors to the UK is forecast to reach £26.9 billion in 2018, up 6.8%.

iambassador

iambassador is an online digital marketing consultancy and the world's leading network of travel influencers. Established in 2011, iambassador creates, plans and executes successful online marketing campaigns which harness the reach and influence of several thousand of the most popular professional bloggers, photographers, videographers and social media personalities in the global travel industry.

Renowned for conceptualising ground-breaking collaborations with DMOs and travel brands alike, iambassador's marketing campaigns are multi-award winning, including success at the World Travel Awards. Working with DMOs, travel brands and international organisations, iambassador designs bespoke campaigns and manages the process from conceptualisation and influencer selection through to monitoring and reporting. Additionally, iambassador provides digital marketing consultancy in the form of workshops and seminars. Furthermore, through its annual Social Travel Summit conference and partnerships with global and regional travel trade shows, iambassador keeps the travel industry up-to-date with trends in influencer marketing.

#STSInverness won in the “Global Partnerships” category at the PR Week Awards 2017.

Tourism Northern Ireland

Tourism Northern Ireland (Tourism NI) is responsible for the development of tourism and the marketing of Northern Ireland as a tourist destination to domestic tourists, from within Northern Ireland, and to visitors from the Republic of Ireland. A non-departmental public body of the Department for the Economy Tourism NI works closely with other tourism bodies to help develop the visitor economy and to market Northern Ireland to incoming visitors.