CLEVELAND — Aer Lingus’ first direct flight from Cleveland to Ireland takes off Friday, and a 14-person delegation from Cleveland will be on board.
The purpose? To bring Cleveland’s story to Europe with the goal of eventually bringing business and tourism back home to Northeast Ohio.
“This is a trip that is very beneficial to many people. It’s a trip we need to do,” said Mark Owens, vice president of communications for Team NEO.
It may be thousands of miles from home but Owens and other delegates from Cleveland hope the trip will make Ireland feel much closer by building partnerships that will benefit the area.
“To recognize, first of all, the opportunity that Aer Lingus has presented us but also to meet with these companies and tell our story. We have a lot to offer here. We can’t be shy about what Cleveland and Northeast Ohio has to offer,” Owens said.
Owens is originally from Ireland. He’s lived and worked in the Cleveland area for more than 20 years and he was recently named the first Irish honorary consul general in Ohio.
“It’s a jam-packed agenda. Someone asked me the other day, ‘are you going to see family while you’re there?’ My family all lives in Ireland and I won’t. I don’t have time,” he said of the trip.
“We see this as an opportunity for us—from a Team NEO perspective and our partners that are going with us—to go tell them why they should be looking at Northeast Ohio and Cleveland.”
Team NEO and other groups on the trip will pay their own way, but taxpayers can expect to foot the bill for the six county and city leaders and staff who are going.
Those leaders heading overseas include:
- Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and his aide
- Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne with his aide
- Cleveland City Council President Blaine Griffin
- Cuyahoga County Council President Pernel Jones Jr.
The cost for each of them to go to Ireland is about $3,100.
“It’s important for people to know this is not just a fun trip. This is your leaders working on your behalf,” said Griffin.
Griffin said he believes the trip will be worth it for the city.
"We’re not competing in the local market anymore. We’re competing in the global market,” he said. “So we have to get out there and tell the world our story.”
Aer Lingus’ new direct flight from Cleveland to Dublin will take about 7.5 hours. Consul General of Ireland Helena Nolan expects the flights will be filled with opportunities for both cities.
“We’re looking forward to that [visit] and we think there will be lots more opportunities stemming from the fact that we now have this direct route. It means a great deal to the business community. It means a great deal to all of us in Ireland,” she said during a visit to Cleveland.
Alison Metcalfe is also in town for the start of the new direct flights to Dublin. She is the executive vice president for Tourism Ireland, overseeing North America.
“You can’t overstate the importance of having direct air access. People want to get there quickly,” she said.