Images of Galway and Connemara were beamed into the homes of around 3.2 million people in the Netherlands this week, when an episode of a reality TV dating show aired on NPO 1, the oldest national TV channel in the Netherlands.

A TV crew – filming for the special Galway episode of one of the most popular TV programmes in the Netherlands, called Boer zoekt Vrouw (meaning ‘The Farmer Wants a Wife’) – was in Ireland last November, as guests of Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland.

Boer zoekt Vrouw is all about single farmers meeting a number of potential partners; then, the farmer and his ‘favourite’ partner go on a dream date to an overseas location – in this instance, Galway. It’s one of the top reality TV shows in the Netherlands, attracting around 3.2 million viewers each week.

Viewers saw the couple – Hans De Roover and Annette Verschuure – enjoying dinner at the Abbeyglen Castle Hotel in Clifden, on their ‘dream date’.

Karen van der Horst, Tourism Ireland’s Manager for Northern Europe, said: “Boer zoekt Vrouw is really popular in the Netherlands – so this was a fun and different way to showcase Galway and Ireland, and some of the many things to see and do here, to a huge audience of potential Dutch holidaymakers. TV and film are strong influencers on prospective holidaymakers and Tourism Ireland regularly works with TV and production companies around the world, to facilitate the making of travel and lifestyle programmes and films around Ireland. It’s a really effective way to get positive exposure for the destination.”

Publicity and broadcasts like this are a key element of Tourism Ireland’s programme of activity, to encourage travellers in the Netherlands, and elsewhere around the world, to put Ireland on their holiday wish-list for this year and beyond.