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CSO figures released today show that the number of overseas visits to Ireland between January - March 2016 increased by 16.6% compared to the corresponding period in 2015.

Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe welcomed the positive development saying:

Today’s data for the first quarter of 2016 shows continued strong growth in our overseas visit numbers which is welcome. Of course, the fact that Easter fell in March this year, along with the associated 1916 commemorative events, provided an added boost to these first quarter figures. Nevertheless, the information from the CSO confirms that 2016 has gotten off to a very good start and we are on track for another excellent year. 2015 was a record year for visitor numbers and the fifth consecutive year of growth. We are aiming to build on this strong performance.

Comparing the three-month period Jan ‘16 – Mar ‘16 with the period Jan ’15 – Mar ‘15:

• Overall visits to Ireland were up by 16.6% to 1.785 million visits; 
• North America was up by 24.5%; 
• Visits from Mainland Europe were up by 14.1%; 
• Great Britain registered an increase of 17.3%;
• Visits from the rest of the world increased by 8%.

Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said:

Today’s figures represent an excellent start to the year, as we roll out our promotional programme around the world. It was the best ever March and the best ever first quarter for Irish tourism. I am really pleased to see overseas visitor numbers up +16.6% – that’s a quarter of a million additional visitors when compared with the first quarter of 2015.

Read the full press release here.