According to new data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the number of overseas arrivals to Ireland increased by 321.4% year on year – from 164,400 to 692,900 – in December 2021, while the number of overseas departures from the country increased by 309.8% year on year, from 178,800 to 732,700.
Ireland’s overseas arrivals decreased in December from November, with the number of overseas arrivals down by 11.8% in December, from 785,800 in November, while the number of overseas departures in December went down by 6.6%, from 785,000 in November.
However, the CSO noted that overseas travel in December 2021 was approximately half of pre-pandemic December 2019, when there were 1,372,600 arrivals and 1,383,800 departures.
Air Vs Sea Figures
Some 641,500 of the people who arrived in Ireland in December – or 92.6% of the total arrivals – came by air, while 51,500, or 7.4%, came by sea.
Some 687,900 of the people who departed Ireland in December – or 93.9% of the total departures – left by air, while 44,800, or 6.1%, left by sea.
Most Common Routes
Some 329,400 of the people who arrived in Ireland in December – or 47.5% of the total arrivals – came by Continental routes, 285,400 (41.2%) came by cross-channel routes, and 55,800 (8.0%) came by transatlantic routes.
Some 396,100 of the people who departed Ireland in December – or 54.1% of the total departures – left by Continental routes, 255,600 (34.9%) left by cross-channel routes, and 56,500 (7.7%) left by transatlantic routes.
Most Common Departure Points And Destinations
The three most common departure points for people who arrived in Ireland in December were Great Britain, Spain and the US, with all cross-channel activity arriving from Great Britain, 69,400 people arriving from Spain, and 49,000 people arriving from the US.
The three most common destinations for people who departed Ireland in October were also Great Britain, Spain and the US, with all cross-channel activity travelling to Great Britain, 86,600 people travelling to Spain, and 49,000 people travelling to the US.
Total Figures: 2021
A total of 4,955,900 people arrived in Ireland in 2021, while 5,022,000 people departed Ireland last year. According to the CSO, these figures compare to 4,460,200 arrivals and 4,452,600 departures in 2020, and 20,143,700 arrivals and 20,205,300 departures in 2019.
© 2022 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Dave Simpson. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
