Lady LUX

As a way to inspire travel to Ireland, billionaire philanthropist Chuck Feeney has partnered with a government program to provide a cash incentive for any American who books their flight!

That’s right LUXies, it seems that the 78-year old Irish-American felt called to help out and will provide $100 holiday vouchers for up to 50,000 Americans who are simply planning a trip to Ireland.

“This is real cash, not a discount scheme,” Cullen said. “[Visitors] can combine it with discount flights or accommodation offers.”

They‘ve budgeted for up to $5 million (€3.4m) in additional funds to give a boost to the tourist economy in Ireland. Now that’s what we call a LUX-incentive for simply picking Ireland as your next travel destination.

According to statistics, one million Americans visit Ireland each year and this has dropped 2% over the last year. Though, the British market of over 3.5 million visitors dropped a huge 16% this year. To make up for this loss, the Global Irish Economic Forum is hoping this new voucher will encourage continued travel come 2010.

Expect other offers to help provide discounts to 55+ travelers as well, which is the case for Failte Ireland tourism agency. They plan to offer free perks for rail travel to help increase the tourism numbers.

As you can see, times like this allow for creative marketing approaches that can help you gain more from booking your own vacation. Be sure to do your research before you travel and inspect ways to take advantage of incentives such as these!

So what do you think LUX Nation? Does $100 incentive give you enough reason to pick Ireland as your country of choice for your travel plans next year?

Tagged in: travel, ireland, philanthropist chuck feeney, 100 cash voucher, american tourism,