Commenting on new figures published by the CSO for overseas arrivals to Ireland for January-March, 2019, Tourism Ireland CEO Niall Gibbons said, "[These] figures from the CSO indicate that overseas arrivals increased by 5.5% in the first quarter of 2019, around 106,100 additional arrivals when compared with January-March, 2018. However, it is early days yet. Arrivals for the first quarter represent around 18% of total annual arrivals and growth in the month of March alone has slowed to 3.3%.
"Arrivals from North America grew by almost 11% in the first three months of 2019, an extra 35,700 US and Canadian visitors. We’ve also seen good results from Mainland Europe, up 7.6%, with particularly strong performances from France and Spain. Visitor numbers from Australia and emerging tourism markets increased by almost 7%. While we welcome the fact that arrivals from Britain are up 1.4% for January-March 2019, we know that the Brexit extension will continue to cause uncertainty for the summer season. However, we will continue to monitor the British market closely, working in conjunction with our British-based Brexit Taskforce."
Looking Ahead
Gibbons added, "Looking to the upcoming summer season and the air access picture, there will be a 3% increase in number of airline seats available, down from the original estimate of 6%. A range of factors in the marketplace have contributed to this decline, including poor yields and stiff competition across Mainland Europe. We welcome the additional hotel capacity, which is facilitating growth. However, competitiveness remains key as we head into the peak season. Tourism Ireland’s new 'Fill Your Heart with Ireland' campaign is rolling out around the world. And, our largest-ever sales mission to China will take place next month, with 26 companies participating in the four-city sales blitz, to capitalise on additional air access and awareness of Ireland. Our aim is to grow overseas visitor numbers and revenue to the island of Ireland again in 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.
