Ireland's minister for arts, sport and tourism, John O’Donoghue, has launched a £6.8m tourism marketing campaign aimed at encouraging overseas tourists to visit Ireland during the autumn season, which usually yields around 30 per cent of annual tourism business.

The campaign – which is being rolled out by Tourism Ireland in the UK, the US and Europe – will focus on attracting visitors to more rural parts of the country.

It will include online, broadcast, direct marketing and print promotions.

Simon Gregory of Tourism Ireland said: “We will advertise the country as a holiday and golfing destination on Sky Sports 1 every hour during the Ryder Cup. We have also linked up with NBC, CBS and Golf Channel in the US to broadcast lifestyle programmes filmed on location in Ireland.”

A £2m advertising initiative dubbed Super Regions was launched earlier this year in support of the campaign to highlight Ireland’s attractions and promote rural areas to overseas businesses. Details: www.tourismireland.com