Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 December 2025
174. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment further to Parliamentary Question No. 193 of 2 December 2025, if he will provide the key performance indicators and metrics related to the responses already provided by the tourism bodies [70548/25]
View answerSocial media marketing and content creator collaborations are one component of Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland’s marketing strategy. Social media is a key way in which potential holidaymakers are inspired for their choice of destination, including from overseas markets.
Tourism Ireland uses a consistent, evidence-based process to select / evaluate content creators across all of its priority overseas markets. They are chosen based on:
• audience relevance – including the proportion of followers in Tourism Ireland’s target markets and alignment with Tourism Ireland’s key consumer audience.
• content quality and authenticity – strong storytelling, high production standards and alignment with Tourism Ireland’s brand values.
• performance metrics – verified reach, engagement and proven ability to inspire travel.
• value for money – competitive rates with clear deliverables and rights to reuse content.
• due diligence and brand safety – full review to ensure compliance with advertising standards and avoidance of any reputational risk.
Fáilte Ireland operates a robust selection and evaluation process for content creators used in any promotional campaigns. This includes reviewing their audience reach and demographics, engagement quality, content style, alignment with Fáilte Ireland’s brand values and tone of voice, and an evaluation of content performance to ensure value for money. Prior to each campaign, all content creators are comprehensively briefed and are contracted to deliver pre-agreed content following each Fáilte Ireland trip which is reviewed for accuracy and suitability before publication.
Fáilte Ireland’s use of content creators is focused on:
• Driving regionality and seasonality to tourism businesses across Ireland
• Showcasing the many destinations and discoveries to be explored in Ireland, through unique storytelling content that inspires and resonates with targeted audiences.
• Creating a sense of momentum, showcasing areas and hidden gems in Ireland that are waiting to be discovered, redefining what a holiday is through emotive storytelling with fun and inviting content.
• Offering compelling reasons to travel and explore through highly relevant content that encourages audiences to take a break in Ireland.
• Encouraging the domestic audience to Keep Discovering Ireland.
Fáilte Ireland applies a consistent KPI framework across all its marketing activity, including content creator partnerships. KPIs are set for creators in line with recognised industry standards.
All KPIs are designed to support Fáilte Ireland’s overarching strategic objective: to drive short breaks in less mature destinations, and to promote increased regionality and seasonality across the tourism sector. As such, campaign metrics are tailored so that each activity contributes meaningfully to these national tourism priorities.
At an overarching level, creator performance is evaluated using industry standard indicators, including:
• Total Reach - assessing the scale of audience exposure
• Engagement Rate - measuring the quality and depth of audience interaction
• Cost per Thousand Impressions (CPM) – ensuring campaigns achieve efficient and competitive reach
• Cost per Engagement (CPE) - evaluating the value and effectiveness of audience interactions relative to investment.
These metrics enable Fáilte Ireland to monitor effectiveness, value for money and alignment with campaign specific objectives, while informing continuous optimisation and future decision making.
