I am a proud Irish Bostonian
in case you couldn't tell by my accent.
(audience applauds)
And in the six months that I had been here since arriving,
I have been visiting and meeting people
from almost every county in Ireland.
And pretty soon I won't have to say almost,
I have hit 22 out of the 26 counties,
and I hope to hit all 26 before I head back
for a little vacation time in Cape Cod.
So I'm supporting that travel industry
(audience chuckles)
and looking forward to that.
So I have received such a kind
and warm embrace from the Irish people.
And this echoes the experience
of over 1.7 million American visitors
who visit Ireland each year.
But it is a two way travel opportunity in your work
in promoting the United States as a top destination
for Irish visitors is just as important
and should be commended.
And I thank you all for striving and never giving up
during a time when your industry
was devastated by the pandemic.
The recovery of travel and tourism
to the United States is a top priority
for the Biden administration.
The recent decision
to lift the testing requirement for entry
has been a big relief to all of us.
I will say particularly for me,
as I've had so many visitors,
and once it's time for them to go home,
I wanna make sure they can get out of the country.
(audience laughs)
That's not a joke.
(audience laughs)
US Secretary Gina Raimondo has released
the 2022 national travel and tourism strategy
on June 6th, 2022.
And its goal is to attract 90 million visitors by 2027.
And as we rebuild,
we have an opportunity to create a more equitable,
more resilient and more sustainable travel industry.
And that's what the national and travel
and tourism strategy sets out to achieve.
The embassy's mission
is to strengthen our people-to-people ties.
And there is no way better than doing that
by literally experience each other's countries in person.
More than 31.5 million Americans claim Irish ancestry.
23 US presidents, exactly half,
trace their roots to Ireland,
including my favorite, President Biden, of course.
And my deep feeling of connection to this great country
is highlighted by my ancestors
who hailed from Countys Donegal, that's my great dad.
Cork Claire Engelman.
(audience applauds)
Such strong family ties to Ireland
heavily influenced both the Irish inbound
and outbound travel to the United States.
And traveling between our two countries
has clear advantages too.
Ireland is the only country in Europe
and one of only two countries outside of Canada
and the Caribbean that has US customs and pre-clearance,
that's big sell.
Our customs and border protection teams stationed
in Dublin and Shannon are currently pre-clearing
over 6,500 travelers daily.
And this pre-clearance facility is a strong reflection
of the close US and Ireland-Irish relationship.
Ranking 16th on the global table of inbound travel,
Ireland generates the highest travel per capita
of international markets to the United States.
(audience applauds)
In terms of business travel alone,
Ireland is the ninth largest investor in the United States.
And this is certainly a country
that punches above its weight.
And as Irish companies expand their footprint stateside,
a new generation of family and friends
are visiting the United States for the first time.
Since January of this year,
over 130,000 Irish people have traveled to the States
for work or holidays, and that's since this January.
Over 6,000 Irish J1 students.
Actually it's 6,141,
very proud of our consular team in the embassy.
Are completing this rite of passage
by spending a summer in the United States.
And meeting these students at the embassy
is always a thrill.
I love to head out on particularly Monday mornings
and greet the students in line
and they're also excited to visit,
and it's just wonderful
to see them embark on their adventures.
But as we gather here this evening,
Irish families are packing their bags
and doing those final passport checks
for green vacations to Disney World,
or maybe getting ready to go to a baseball game
and watch the Boston Red Sox beat up the Yankees.
(audience laughs)
Hopefully, or preparing to reconnect
with their extended families across all 50 states.
The desire to visit, explore, learn, taste
and understand all the diverse components
of the United States, encourages Irish visitors
to return time and time again.
In closing, I wanna thank you
for your dedication and commitment
in ensuring that the United States
remains a top destination for Irish visitors.
On behalf of our embassy colleagues,
we wish you a wonderful evening
and send out best wishes and support
for your continued success.
And together, we can rebuild, revive and restore
the Irish US travel and tourism industry.
Thank you very much.