By Chris Ashmore

DONEGAL is set to benefit from massive exposure as a result of a major four-day tourism-related event taking place in Letterkenny in September.

The town has been selected to host the TBEX – Europe (Travel Blog Exchange), which is a major gathering for the travel blogging, influencer and content creator community.

More than 500 attendees will be present for meetings, conferences, workshops and networking activities that will dovetail with tours and the promotion of tourism attractions in Donegal.

This is the largest gathering of its kind for travel bloggers, online travel journalists, travel brands and industry professionals – and will generate unparalleled publicity for Donegal.

Details of the event were outlined by Mary Daly, pictured right, Senior Tourism Officer, Donegal Co. Council, at its monthly meeting, where she said the event represents “an exceptional opportunity to showcase Donegal’s assets on an international stage.”

Stressing that the spin-off from this event is expected to be considerable, she noted that when the TBEX-Europe gathering was held in Killarney, Co. Kerry back in 2017, TBEX attendees created over three billion online impressions for Ireland that year.

Addressing councillors, she highlighted how those in attendance will be publicising Donegal.

Bloggers will post their experiences of Donegal on social media platforms, with a world-wide audience.

Likewise the posts about Donegal from “influencers” – who are followed by millions of people in some cases – is set to reap a considerable spin-off for the county.

There will also be content creators and freelancers in attendance and the council is hoping that those in the tourism sector in Donegal will get actively involved in enabling the attendees to see just what this county has to offer.

The venue for the TBEX – Europe event, which runs from September 9 to 12, will be ATU Donegal.

Speakers will include more than 40 experts who specialise in “destination marketing” online.

A study of the TBEX community has revealed: that 91 per cent of those attending use Facebook or Instagram; 97 per cent maintain a blog, posting at least twice a week; and 52 per cent use Tik Tok.

Councillors have welcomed the staging of TBEX- Europe, with Cllr. Ali Farren describing it as “massive for the county” while Cllr. Joy Beard said that “Donegal is Ireland’s best kept secret, but now with this conference, the secret is about to be shared.”

Those involved in the tourism sector are being encouraged to reach out to the attendees and to get involved, including offering packages and discounts.

It is widely expected that many of the attendees will feature Donegal people, the scenery, local food, local cultural and musical traditions, crafts and the Irish language in some of their coverage while here.