Over the last couple of weeks you’ll have noticed #LoveLaois getting considerable traction on social media following a LaoisToday campaign urging people to think and support local as the businesses of the county re-open following the Coronavirus pandemic.
And as the travel restrictions are slowly lifted we are also encouraging people to enjoy what our county has to offer.
Laois Chamber of Commerce and Laois Tourism have both officially got behind the LaoisToday campaign.
Ahead of the hospitality sector re-opening next Monday, June 29, and the traditional summer holiday months of July and August, we officially launched the campaign backed by all three groups.
To mark the occasion, Laois Chamber CEO Bernie Everard hosted her weekly webinar in The Heritage in Killenard, who have recently installed a state of the art Live Stream Studio that can be used for live or hybrid events.
“Laois as a county has so much to proud of – if we don’t shout about it, absolutely nobody else will shout about it for us,” said Steven Miller, owner and managing editor of LaoisToday.
“(Since setting up LaoisToday in 2017) we celebrate and support all things Laois. That has been the ethos of LaoisToday since the start.
“We have a huge audience across all our social media. We have a voice to put out a strong message. It’s also to enjoy what our county has to offer, love what Laois has to offer. The tone of the message is to think local.”
“The overarching message is Love Laois,” adds Bernie Everard from Laois Chamber, who is also involved in the Business Recovery Group set up by Laois County Council and also includes the Local Enterprise Office.
“It will all feed into a really good vibe. We all know that businesses have been decimated throughout the Coronavirus and we’re really conscious we want to support local businesses right across all sectors.
“Want to promote everything in Laois to Laois people.”
Caragh Burns-Sharma, who is chairperson of Laois Tourism, says that a huge amount of work is going on behind the scenes ahead of the re-opening next week.
A Failte Ireland report says that for every million spent in tourism it creates 27 local jobs.
“Spend in the county and protect those jobs,” she says.
“There is everything here – please get out and support. Don’t underestimate the value of your coffee and scone.
“Every euro that we spend – putting it into our local economy – is taking responsibility for how our beautiful county comes out of this.”
You can watch the video in full below here.
SEE ALSO – Selection of great images as LaoisToday #LoveLaois campaign gathers momentum
SEE ALSO – We want your #LoveLaois photos as the county begins to open up again
