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Go City Acquires The Dublin Pass to Expand Ireland Offerings

By Evangeline Leeder

The Dublin Pass joins the company's portfolio of over 25 destinations worldwide, as Go City initiates further expansion into the country.

DUBLIN, March 29, 2022 -- Go City®, the world's largest multi-attraction pass business, has purchased The Dublin Pass from Fáilte Ireland (Ireland's National Tourism Development Authority) by way of open market sale. Recently recognized in the Sunday Times Top Track 250, Go City plans to continue to expand its offerings in the market, leveraging its app-based technology to deliver a more enhanced customer experience.

The Dublin Pass grants visitors discounted and flexible entry to the top attractions, museums and tours in Dublin. It was created in 2004 as a collaborative project between Dublin Tourism and key industry partners to promote and sell the Dublin experience to sightseers. Ownership of the pass moved to Fáilte Ireland after it merged with Dublin Tourism in 2012.

While Go City has managed The Dublin Pass operation under a concession agreement on behalf of Fáilte Ireland since 2015, this move will see Go City own The Dublin Pass in its entirety.

Go City operates in more than 25 of the most iconic cities in the world, and delivers approximately 12 million paid attraction visits annually, worldwide. The Dublin Pass includes 35 of the city's most popular attractions, tours and experiences, including the Guinness Storehouse, Saint Patrick's Cathedral, and many more. This acquisition will broaden the company's offerings in Ireland and provide Dublin's attraction partners with a wider range of marketing capabilities and technology solutions.

"We are delighted to welcome The Dublin Pass into the Go City portfolio of passes to the world's best cities. Customers love the savings, flexibility and wide variety of experiences that The Dublin Pass offers, allowing them to unlock the city. Our aim is to build on that success and expand our offerings further into Ireland," comments Jon Owen, CEO of Go City.

Paul Keeley, Fáilte Ireland's Director of Regional Development adds, "The Dublin Pass will continue to be an important product for Dublin in the future, as it helps visitors access the city's unique attractions, and experience Dublin's rich history, heritage and culture."

Go City will continue to work closely with the local community of attraction partners and Fáilte Ireland to deliver incremental visitation to Dublin, opening up exciting opportunities for the year ahead.

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ABOUT GO CITY

Go City is the most popular multi-attraction pass in the U.S and operates in over 25 cities across the globe. Partnering with over 1,000 attractions, tours and activities worldwide, Go City allows customers to experience everything a destination has to offer, while attraction partners receive incremental visitation and revenue.

Offering choice, convenience and savings, Go City enables customers to lock in savings ahead of travel, while retaining flexibility to make plans as they go. All delivered digitally, the Go City app provides contactless entry at attractions by scanning the pass straight from a smartphone device. Go City transforms the way people experience the world's greatest destinations. They simply scan and enjoy, all at their own pace for a fraction of the retail cost.

For more information, or to experience Go City please visit www.gocity.com.

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ABOUT FÁILTE IRELAND

As the National Tourism Development Authority, Fáilte Ireland's role is to support the long-term sustainable growth in the economic, social, cultural and environmental contribution of tourism to Ireland. Tourism is of critical importance to the national economy and to regional development and employment. Pre-coronavirus, the sector generated revenue of €7.5billion annually and supported 260,000 jobs nationwide while contributing €1.7billion to the Exchequer.

Fáilte Ireland works in partnership with Government, State agencies, Local Authorities, representative groups and industry, to develop tourism across Ireland by creating destination development plans and networks, investing in infrastructure, activities, visitor attractions and festivals. Fáilte Ireland also provides consumer and buyer insights, mentoring, business supports and training programmes' and buyer platforms to help tourism businesses innovate and grow.

In addition, Fáilte Ireland supports Business Tourism, managing the bidding for and securing of larger conferences, meetings, and events to be hosted in Ireland.

Fáilte Ireland is also responsible for domestic holiday marketing across its four regional experience brands: Dublin, Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland's Ancient East, and Ireland's Hidden Heartlands.

Evangeline Leeder
Go City Travel Expert

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Things to do in Dublin in Summer

Ok ok, so the Caribbean it ain’t, but summer in Dublin is nevertheless a pleasant season defined by warm, (mostly) dry days, lively festivals and events aplenty, and evenings balmy enough to dine al fresco. Unsurprising, then, that the months of June to August are among Dublin’s most popular. Read on for our guide to visiting Dublin in summer, including Bloomsday and Dublin Pride celebrations, what to expect from the weather and, of course, the best places to sample the black stuff. Our guide includes: The Guinness Storehouse St Stephen’s Green Phoenix Park Dublin bike tours Temple Bar Howth Maritime & Seafood Festival The Wicklow Mountains Bloomsday Dublin Pride Visiting Dublin in Summer Dublin’s summers are pleasantly warm affairs with July – the hottest month of the year – having been known to hit (gasp!) the dizzy heights of the high 60s. This is Northern Europe after all, where ‘pleasantly warm’ is a relative term. So if you’ve been picturing sizzling Mediterranean beaches for your summer vacation, move along please, you’ve come to the wrong place. Like the weather here, summer tourism in Dublin is generally mild... with the occasional downpour. In other words, even though May to September is peak season in Ireland, the attraction queues are rarely overwhelming and, though hotel prices have – to be sure – increased with demand, there’s still plenty of affordable accommodation to be had, especially if you’re willing to stay a little outside of the center. However, there will still be occasions when tempers fray due to waiting times at, say, the popular Guinness Storehouse or Book of Kells, just as there will be times you’ll be glad you packed an umbrella and waterproof walking boots. As for what else you should pack for your summer adventure in Dublin, layers are your friend. While you might (just about) get away with short sleeves and bare legs on hotter days, you’ll be thankful for that cardigan and pair of comfy jeans after sunset. Things to do in Dublin in Summer Outdoor types rejoice! For Dublin is an adventurer’s paradise, with stacks of al fresco activities to get involved in both inside and outside the city. First up on our hotlist of recommendations is – and bear with us on this one – Dublin Bay’s beaches! Ok sure, it takes a brave soul to take the plunge and dive into the icy Irish Sea without first donning a wetsuit, but the sweeping sandy beaches along this stretch of coastline are perfect for picnics, scenic strolls and, well, just chilling on the sand with a good book and a glass of vino. Hit up Dollymount Strand (pictured) or Sandymount, or head a little further afield for the many #humblebrag Insta opportunities presented by beautiful beaches at Portmarnock, Killiney and Howth. Sticking with the outdoor theme, summer is as good a time as any to rent a bike and explore Dublin at your own pace. Pedal your way to big-ticket attractions including medieval Christ Church Cathedral, with its creepy crypt and resident (mummified) cat and rat. Wobble riverside to the historic Kilmainham Gaol Museum, famed for its role in the Easter Rising executions and Irish War of Independence, and essential to any meaningful understanding of Irish history and heritage. Don’t forget to stop off at the Guinness Storehouse for some much-needed refreshment along the way! Many of these attractions and tours are included with a pass from Go City, meaning you can save money if you plan to visit a few of them. Dublin’s lush public parks really come into their own in summer. Stroll the seemingly endless pathways of the sprawling Phoenix Park, a former royal hunting ground that’s home to herds of fallow deer, and is almost as big as Dublin itself! And picnic on the lawns of St Stephen’s Green, a verdant Victorian oasis at the end of busy Grafton Street, where a bust of James Joyce, abstract Henry Moore sculpture of W.B. Yeats and imposing statue of brewing magnate Arthur Guinness provide points of interest among the greenery, gardens and duckponds. Day trips to the dramatic Cliffs of Moher and charming seaside village of Howth present further opportunities to experience Ireland’s wild, untamed beauty. Ramblers and romantics alike will also get a real kick out of the Wicklow Mountains south of the city, where long walks in otherworldly landscapes dotted with rivers, bogs and neolithic tombs will have you coming over all Bill Bryson. What’s on: Dublin Summer Events There’s plenty going on during summer in Dublin. Dublin Pride has been a June fixture in the city for 40 years, promising a rollicking roster of events celebrating LGBTQ+ culture, including queer-history walking tours, hard-hitting theatrical drama, world-class drag acts, lively club nights, live music and more. The festival’s focal point is the colorful Pride Parade, which sees O’Connell Street transformed into party central, as flamboyant floats and extravagantly costumed revelers wobble and weave their way down to Pride Village in Merrion Square. Bookworms will find much to enjoy on Bloomsday, which any James Joyce fan worth their salt will tell you falls on 16th June, as depicted in his novel Ulysses. In fact, Bloomsday runs for several days around the 16th, and features performances, readings and other events, many taking place at the very locations and establishments referenced in the book. Get into the spirit by dressing the part: think Edwardian garb including shawls, frilly blouses and fancy hats for the ladies, and Joyce-style britches, braces and straw hats for the lads. Similar in name only, Bloom is Ireland’s largest gardening festival and promises five days of green-fingered fun every June. Expect exquisitely presented gardens spanning some 10 acres of Phoenix Park, with a side order of celeb-chef cookery demonstrations and a difficult-to-resist artisan food market. In August, the Dublin Horse Show canters into town, bringing racing, showjumping and dressage events galore to the eager (and well-dressed) masses, as well as plenty of family fun including kids’ entertainment and pony rides. Last but by no means least, September’s Howth Maritime & Seafood Festival caps off the Dublin summer schedule with a welcome return to the beach. We’re talking two days of family fun in one of Ireland’s prettiest seaside towns. As the name suggests, you can expect some of the finest seafood this fair isle has to offer, as well as funfairs, treasure hunts, circus acts, Irish dancing, boat rides and stacks more. Save on things to do in Dublin Save on admission to Dublin attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
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4 Days in Dublin

Four days is the perfect amount of time to liberally drench yourself in Dublin’s rich heritage, from its medieval center and imposing castle to lively cobbled lanes lined with bars and restaurants, illustrious literary culture, beautiful parks and fine museums. Our guide takes in all of these and more, leaving plenty of time to enjoy the legendary craic and sample the city’s most famous exports: the twin joys of Guinness and whiskey. So, pack your passport, walking shoes and Alka-Seltzer and get ready to say ‘sláinte’ to Dublin! Our guide includes: Christ Church Cathedral Dublin Castle Malahide Castle Trinity College Temple Bar St Stephen’s Green EPIC Irish Immigration Museum The Guinness Storehouse Grafton Street Day 1: Dublin: A Brief History One of the best things about Dublin is how compact and easily walkable it is. A well-planned itinerary will mean you never have to stroll far for the next big-ticket attraction. But do wear comfy shoes to tackle the ubiquitous cobbles! Our suggested itinerary kicks off with a handful of Dublin’s must-sees, all within just a few minutes’ walk of each other. Trinity College, Dublin’s stunning 16th-century seat of learning is our first port of call. Here, aficionados of Irish literature can walk in the footsteps of exalted alumni including Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett and Bram Stoker, to name-drop just a few. Wander the cobbled quadrangles and admire the grand neoclassical architecture ahead of the main event: a guided tour of the atmospheric Old Library that takes in the extraordinary Book of Kells, easily the most astonishing preserved medieval manuscript in the British Isles, if not the entire planet. Suitably awed, head over to Grafton Street, grabbing a selfie by the statue of Molly Malone – she of the classic ‘Cockles and Mussels’ ballad (known locally (and rather unkindly) as ‘the tart with a cart)’ – on the way. A fine spot for lunch (and a shopper’s paradise), Grafton Street also brims with street performers. Expect to enjoy music, magic and all manner of other sensory delights as you dine. This will no doubt whet your appetite for an evening in Temple Bar, Dublin’s legendary nightlife district, where cobbles, colorful characters and great craic are all but guaranteed. But before all that, make sure to spend an afternoon chilling in the relative peace and tranquility of stunning St Stephen’s Green. Manicured gardens, vibrant flower beds, duck ponds and monuments to James Joyce and W.B. Yeats are the order of the day in this lush Victorian idyll. Day 2: Dublin’s Best Museums and Booze Dublin’s museums are plentiful, offering myriad methods of getting under the skin of this fine city. You can view timeless masterpieces by some of the world’s greatest ever artists – Caravaggio, Goya, Monet, Picasso, Rembrandt, Turner, Vermeer and more – at the excellent National Gallery, and explore the best of contemporary local art at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA). Delve into the city’s storied history at the, well, epic EPIC Irish Emigration Museum and discover how desperate Irish citizens fled the Great Famine aboard the Jeanie Johnston Tallship in the 19th Century, in search of a better life in North America. Whiskey connoisseurs will also be in clover in Dublin. Ireland’s complex relationship with the amber nectar is explored in depth at the Irish Museum of Whiskey, and you can sample it for yourself on distillery tours at (amongst others) Jameson and Teeling, as well as in pretty much any Irish bar worth its salt. Prefer books to booze? Get yourself down the Writers Museum and Museum of Literature Ireland, where exhibits celebrate the great and good of Irish wordsmithery, from Shaw to Sheridan, Joyce to Wilde. A Game of Thrones studio tour and a National Leprechaun Museum offer further fantastical japes and prove beyond all doubt that there really is something for everyone in Dublin! Head full of dragons, poetry and folklore, mosey on down to the Guinness Storehouse for a well-deserved pint of the black stuff, accompanied by panoramic views from its space-age 7th-floor Gravity Bar, taking in Dublin Bay, the Wicklow Mountains and everything in between. You can continue the party at Guinness's Open Gate Brewery, an experimental taproom where you can sample the iconic brewer’s newest tipples. Day 3: Day Trip to Malahide Castle Sure, there’s stacks more you can be doing in Dublin on day three of your getaway. But what could possibly be more decadent than taking a break from your city break? Banish the specter of last night’s overindulgence on a day trip out to magnificent medieval Malahide Castle, a stunningly preserved stone fortress on the north Dublin coast. Set in 260 acres of glorious parkland, this turreted confection and its grounds promise diversions enough to fill an entire day. We’re talking opulent interiors bedecked with period furniture, carved friezes and huge portraits of the Talbot family, who owned the castle between the 12th century and the 20th. There are also botanical gardens featuring a four-acre walled garden plus several glasshouses (including a Victorian conservatory), a butterfly garden and a fairy trail. Heck, there’s even a cricket pitch in the grounds. How the other half live, eh? If that doesn’t tickle your pickle, alternative out-of-town marvels include the picturesque harbor town of Howth (also with its own castle, natch), and the marvelous 18th-century folly that is Casino Marino, a Tardis-like gem of neoclassical architecture just beyond the city limits. A cold pint or three of Guinness awaits the weary traveler on their inevitable return to Temple Bar in the evening – the promise of lively banter, traditional Irish music and cozy pub nooks providing the perfect antidote to sightseeing fatigue. Day 4: Medieval Dublin Morning! How’s the head today? Delighted to hear it! Because there’s still A LOT to see before we send you off on your merry way. First up on our whistle-stop tour of medieval Dublin is Christ Church Cathedral, where the arresting site of a mummified cat and rat locked in eternal chase should help shake off that biblical hangover of yours. And that’s not all. There are many more weird and wonderful highlights to seek out inside this, the city’s oldest building (around 1,000 years, but who’s counting?). Check out those epic vaulted ceilings and ogle stained-glass windows that rival those of York Minster and Canterbury for sheer scale and vividness. There’s even a rare copy of the Magna Carta for your perusal as well as the inevitable relics, among them the heart (encased inside a heart-shaped casket) of 12th-century saint Laurence O’Toole. Continue your religious pilgrimage at nearby St Patrick’s, named in honor of Ireland’s snake-chaser-in-chief. Or pop just next door to the excellent Dublinia experience, where immersive and interactive exhibits take you back to the Dublin of Viking and medieval times. Last but by no means least, Dublin Castle should be considered an essential element of your 4-day Dublin itinerary, if only to secure a selfie in front of its imposing medieval tower. The castle’s sumptuous state apartments, Viking defenses, gothic Chapel Royal, and formal gardens, once home to the dark tidal pool (Dubh Linn) from which the city takes its name, are also well worth a few hours of your time. Save on things to do in Dublin Save on admission to Dublin attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak

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