CSO Data Shows 7.6% Rise In Overseas Travel To Ireland

New data released by the CSO has revealed that overseas visits to Ireland were up by 7.6% for first five months of this year, compared to the same period in 2017.

The data indicates that Ireland welcomed a total of 3.8 million overseas visitors to its shores between January and May 2018, 700,000 of which journeyed from North America (+12.4%) while just over 1.4 million arrived from mainland Europe (+12.3), with the number of German and Italian visitors 26% and 16%, respectively. British visitor numbers also increased by 2.4% to 1.47 million, and visitors from all other areas grew by 0.6%.

Welcoming the new statistics, Fáilte Ireland chief executive Paul Kelly said, “Overall, [these] results reflect further significant tourism growth from overseas. Additionally, anecdotal evidence from the industry is telling us that the current good spell of weather is also generating a domestic dividend with increased home holiday activity. All of this is great news in a sector that sustains 235,000 jobs and generates €1.7 billion in exchequer funding - €1,000 for every household in Ireland.

“The key focus for Irish tourism must now be to sustain this performance. The potential for further growth, and significant increases in jobs and exchequer revenue, is very much within our grasp, particularly with the increase in air access from North America, Europe and China. The main barrier for us in realising this potential will be our capacity to provide these visitors with outstanding holiday experiences and maintain a strong value for money reputation. Therefore, it is incumbent on both public and private sector organisations throughout the country to invest and facilitate the growth of tourism capacity in accommodation, attractions and transport. For our own part, Fáilte Ireland is investing in attractions, activities and festivals across the country to ensure a good regional spread of tourism activity and a broader tourism calendar in order to cater for growing visitor numbers.”

Overseas Visitors to Ireland Jan-May 2018

Source: CSO Overseas Travel

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