INDIANAPOLIS — As Aer Lingus marks the start of its new trans-Atlantic flight from Indianapolis to Dublin, the Hoosier state is hoping to attract new visitors.
Don Shearer, the CEO of Travel Biz and Travel Trade Limited, was on the inaugural flight from Dublin to Indianapolis.
WRTV asked him what he thought about the Hoosier State.
“Incredible, we spent the first nights downtown. Now, the weather wasn't kind, it was more like Irish weather, but we're used to that,” Shearer said.
Visit Indy took the group across the state, highlighting a number of unique packages for potential visitors, from hotel deals to group tickets for the Indy 500.
The group took photos on the yard of bricks and enjoyed Long's Donuts while visiting the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“We went to Danville, to Hendricks County. We saw agritourism. We ate locally at the Bread Basket. We then ventured towards French Lick. So we've seen a huge amount of product, but the overriding theme for all of us in the travel industry in Ireland is that the people are amazing. The product is amazing. So there's a huge connection with the Irish and the people from Indiana,” Shearer said.
What stood out to Shearer was the convenience of traveling from the airport to downtown Indianapolis.
“Just 15 minutes!" Shearer said. "The real big selling point for people from Ireland is that you pre-clear in Ireland. So when you arrive in Indianapolis, you're pre-cleared, you get your bags, and away you go. So it's an amazing service."
In addition to the convenience factor, the Indianapolis Airport Authority estimates a $50-million economic impact from the new Aer Lingus flights from Indy to Dublin.
“Indiana is home to 52 Ireland based businesses. It's a big exporter into the city. Also, Eli Lilly invested $1.8-billion into their Irish facility. So there's some fabulous connections for both destinations,” Megan Carrico, Senior Director of Public Affairs for the Indianapolis Airport, said.
As business travel grows, tourism leaders are also hopeful leisure travel will experience a significant boost thanks to this new connectivity.
“We’ve made so many contacts here over the past five days,” Shearer said. “We will be sharing all that content with the traveling community in Ireland, and the opportunities are endless.”
“We are celebrating the month of May, as we do every year,” Carrico said. “I’m really excited to see if we're going to have an influx of European travelers or Irish travelers coming over here for the greatest spectacle in racing.”
Carrico also noted what’s exciting about the new Aer Lingus flight is the ease of travel extends beyond the Dublin route.
“It's not just Indy to Dublin or Dublin to Indy. It's the fact of when you can get past Dublin. So there's some 20 seamless connections London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and other locations throughout Europe,” Carrico said.
Carrico tells WRTV that 545 Hoosiers are flying every day over to European destinations.
The Indianapolis International Airport welcomed the first inbound flight from Dublin on Saturday, May 3rd. Aer Lingus will operate the flight four times a week, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
The 8-hour and 15-minute flight will leave Indy in the evening and arrive in Dublin the next morning.
