Published on : Thursday, July 31, 2014
Trips to Ireland by overseas visitors have gone up by 10.3 per cent during the first half of 2014, according to Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures.
The figures show a steady rise compared to the same period in 2013, with over 3,469,100 overseas visitors recorded by the CSO between January and June (inclusive).
The latest figures on Overseas Travel are:
Visits from Mainland Europe grew by 6 pc, to over 1,218,100 visits
North America registered an increase of 10.6 pc (over 574,500 visits)
Visits from Great Britain were up by 13.6 pc (1,473,200 visits)
Visits from the rest of the world were up 13.6 pc over 203,300 visits
Increase from Britain will be seen as particularly good news. The UK is Ireland’s single most important inbound tourism market, and figures had fallen drastically in recent years.
Fáilte Ireland CEO, Shaun Quinn, said: “The increase in numbers from the UK is extremely impressive and the performance of our biggest overseas market is exceeding all expectations. All our other key markets are also delivering extra visitors; tourism businesses around the country are upbeat and we seem set for our best tourism season since the downturn began.”
Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, added: “We are undertaking an extensive programme of promotions around the world throughout 2014 which includes a major focus on the Wild Atlantic Way, as well as on major events like Limerick City of Culture and the Croke Park Classic, when the University of Central Florida takes on Penn State in their college football season opener, on August 30th.”
Tourism Minister Paschal Donohoe commented that the figures showed “Irish tourism is having, yet again, another excellent year.”
Minister Donohue, new to his role following the recent cabinet reshuffle, is finalising a new Tourism Policy Statement which will set “ambitious targets” for the sector in the period to 2025.
The policy would be released later this year.
Tags: Global Travel News, Tourism News
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