Ireland Tourism 2013: New Campaign, 'City of a Thousand Welcomes' Pairs Dubliners With Visitors for Tea

A tourism campaign for Dublin, Ireland has a fitting moniker of City of a Thousand Welcomes. The campaign, pairs up a visitor with a local Dubliner for a pint of beer or a casual cup of tea, free of charge.

The program says on its official website, " City of a Thousand Welcomes is an exciting new civic initiative that promotes Dublin as a place where tourists can receive outstanding hospitality.The short-term goal is to give visitors a really positive first impression of Dublin. The long-term goal is to bolster the city's reputation as a place where 'great hospitality' is more than just a slogan."

For visitors, all they have to do is fill out a questionnaire on the website. Dubliners can also sign up to be a part of the program to meet visitors for a drink. "When a visitor registers with City of a Thousand Welcomes, we send them a free guide to the city and appoint a Dublin Ambassador to welcome them. Shortly afterwards, the Ambassador invites the visitor for a cup of tea in a café or a pint in a Dublin pub," says the website.

"If the visitor accepts the invitation, we give the Ambassador a voucher for two pints or cups of tea/coffee. The Ambassador has a short, informal meeting with the visitor, welcoming them to the city and telling them a little bit about it."

"City of a Thousand Welcomes is a civic initiative to introduce tourists to Dubliners who are knowledgeable and passionate about their city. We call them Ambassadors," adds the website.

The director of the City of a Thousand Welcomes is Trevor White. "Born in Dublin, he was the founding publisher of The Dubliner magazine. Trevor's memoir, The Dubliner Diaries, has been described by David McWilliams as "an exceptional portrait of the Celtic Tiger," and was an Irish Times Book of the Year in 2010," says the website.

Iceland had created a similar tourism project including its 2011 "Inspired by Iceland" campaign. This campaign let citizens from around the country offer experience to visitors.