CIE Tours to be named as an AAIDN “Diaspora Leadership Partner”.
MORRISTOWN, NJ – CIE Tours, leading tour operator for vacations to Ireland and Britain, announced a new partnership with the African American Irish Diaspora Network (AAIDN). CIE Tours will work closely with AAIDN to foster relationships between African Americans, Ireland, and the Irish Diaspora through various programming, marketing, and product development.
With nearly 40% of African Americans having some Irish ancestry, AAIDN was formed in 2020 to foster shared heritage and culture through entrepreneurship, innovation, education, and arts. The non-profit organization’s mission is actively supported by the Republic of Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs as well as the government of Northern Ireland.
As part of the partnership, CIE Tours is collaborating with AAIDN on the following initiatives:
- Internship Opportunities: CIE Tours is establishing a summer internship program for historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) students and graduates to introduce talented young professionals to the travel and tourism industry, with a focus on Ireland and leisure travel.
- In-destination product and experience development: Both organizations will partner with Quinnipiac University Professor Christine Kinealy to highlight travel along the Frederick Douglass Way heritage and tourism trail in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Collateral associated with this heritage and tourism trail will be co-branded between AAIDN and CIE Tours. The goal is to formalize a path linking sites, towns and cities that Douglass, the formerly enslaved American orator, social reformer, abolitionist and diplomat traveled during his 4-month visit to Ireland in 1845. The sites include visits in Dublin, Cork, Belfast and other locations on the island of Ireland.
- Custom Group tours: The two companies will work together to develop Ireland tour itineraries to appeal to groups with an interest in the intersection of African American and Irish history and culture.
In addition, CIE Tours will support AAIDN’s mission through various marketing activations including co-branding on collateral associated with the launch of the US-Ireland Research and Commercialization Consortium and the Frederick Douglass Way tourism trail.
“We are delighted to partner with AAIDN to help build bridges between African American and Irish communities through a variety of initiatives,” said Elizabeth Crabill, CEO of CIE Tours. “It is an honor to become a Diaspora Leadership Partner and we look forward to contributing our expertise and providing opportunities and resources to promote diversity and inclusion in our offices, our tours, and our customers.”
Dennis Brownlee, Founder & CEO of AAIDN added, “We are thrilled to welcome CIE Tours as an AAIDN Diaspora Leadership Partner. The initiatives we are launching together will provide the cornerstone to building exciting new channels for dialogue, cultural exploration, and collaboration in innovation and education between the African American and Irish communities. We are excited to have this opportunity advance these objectives with the dynamic leadership team of CIE Tours.”
The new partnership supports CIE Tours’ commitment to Responsible Tourism. It specifically relates to the organization’s focus on working with organizations that promote greater cultural awareness of, and connection between, the US and Ireland, the diversity of the Irish American experience, and an economic goal of committing to diversity, equity, and inclusion that invite all to participate in the business opportunities CIE Tours offers.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
