Commenting on new figures published by the CSO for overseas arrivals to Ireland for January-May, 2019, Tourism Ireland CEO Niall Gibbons said, "[These] figures from the CSO indicate that overseas arrivals increased by 3.7% in the first five months of 2019, around 140,600 more than in January-May, 2018. However, the month of May has shown a continuing weak trend, with a fall of 0.4%.
"North America and long-haul markets continue to show consistent growth so far throughout the year. North America grew by 9.1% in the first five months of 2019, an extra 67,700 US and Canadian arrivals, and long-haul markets are up 7.2%.
"However, Britain and mainland Europe have shown a weaker pattern as the year unfolds, with Britain down 4.4% and Mainland Europe down 4.6% for the month of May. This leaves both market areas up slightly for the year overall, with Britain up by 0.8% and mainland Europe by 3.2% for the January-May period."
Concerns And Challenges
Gibbons continued, "The summer air access picture is still positive with 2% more seats available and new services coming on stream, including the new American Airlines flight from Dallas to Dublin, just launched this month. However, feedback from industry on the ground suggests weaker demand and a late booking pattern, with concern being expressed for the second half of 2019.
"Brexit remains an ongoing challenge, giving rise to consumer concern, particularly in Britain and some mainland European markets. We will continue to monitor the situation closely with industry colleagues.
"Tourism Ireland will continue to roll out its extensive programme of promotional activity in markets around the world as we face into the second half of 2019."
© 2019 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Dave Simpson. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
