Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross T.D. and Minster of State for Tourism and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan T.D. have today welcomed the continued growth in overseas visitor numbers for the first six months of 2016, as shown by the overseas visit figures which were released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
Speaking following the release of the figures, Minister Ross said: ‘We now have official figures for overseas visits to Ireland for the first half of 2016 which show that Irish tourism is having another excellent year. Today’s figures show that overseas visit numbers are up 13.1% compared to the first six months of 2015. This is good news for everybody involved in Irish tourism and reflects the hard work carried out by all those involved in the tourism industry’.
The latest CSO figures on overseas visits show:
- At 4,383,600 visits, overall trips to Ireland were up 13.1% in the first six months of 2016 compared to the same period in 2015;
- Visits from Mainland Europe grew by 11% for January to June 2016, to 1,528,100 visits;
- North America registered an increase of 15% for January – June 2016 (758,400 visits);
- Visits from Great Britain were up by 15.7% for January – June 2016 (1,865,000 visits).
- Visits from the rest of the world, mostly long-haul and developing markets, were up by 1.8% totalling 232,200 visits.
Minister Ross added: “The latest statistics show that we are doing well from all of our main target markets including Mainland Europe, Great Britain and North America and it looks likely that 2016 will be another record breaking year for visitor numbers. While the result of the UK referendum may impact on the Great Britain market we will continue to monitor developments”.
Minister O’Donovan welcoming today’s Overseas Travel figures said: “I am pleased to see that our strong tourism performance is being maintained. We are not complacent and will continue to invest in our tourism industry. In this regard I was pleased in recent weeks to announce funding for key Wild Atlantic Way projects in Galway and Kerry. Tourism Ireland continue to sell Ireland as a destination overseas and with Fáilte Ireland continually seeking to improve the tourism product, we will ensure that growth continues in the years ahead.”
Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said: “Today’s figures indicate that this was the best ever January to June period for overseas visitors to Ireland, with almost 4.4 million arrivals recorded, representing an increase of +13% – more than half a million additional overseas visitors when compared with H1 last year. Our aim is to ensure that 2016 is another record-breaking year for Irish tourism. We have seen exceptional results from North America for the first half – up +15% on the same six-month period in 2015. I also welcome the strong increase in British visitors (almost +16%). Mainland Europe has also turned in a superb performance (+11%), with important markets like Italy, Spain, France, Germany and the Benelux countries all showing really good growth.”
“The outcome of the recent EU referendum in the UK has given rise to economic uncertainty and currency movements, which have the capacity to hamper growth. Although it is still too soon to fully understand the long-term implications of Brexit for tourism to the island of Ireland, Tourism Ireland has been monitoring the possible implications of Brexit, liaising with our key stakeholders, at home and overseas. The British market will remain of significant importance for all of us in the short, medium and long-term. For Tourism Ireland, the message is very much business as usual. Our €4 million promotional campaign will roll out in Britain from now until the end of the year, to highlight the island of Ireland to prospective visitors and maintain the strong growth we have seen in recent years.”
Welcoming today’s figures, Fáilte Ireland Director Paul Keeley cautioned: “These figures are very welcome and indicate a very strong performance so far for Irish tourism. Indeed, we’re probably heading for a record year in tourism. However, as recent events have shown, there are many external factors beyond our control which could influence future travel trends in our key markets. To ensure growth is sustainable, the Irish tourism sector must avoid complacency and compete aggressively for domestic and overseas business.
“Above all, we must focus on those factors which we can control. For tourism businesses, the onus is to do all that they can to maintain competitiveness as well as continually innovate to meet the changing needs of the modern consumer. For ourselves in Fáilte Ireland, we will continue to develop our three brands - the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland’s Ancient East and our new Dublin brand – to ensure that Ireland remains an attractive and compelling option for global travellers and to spread the benefits of growth more widely across the country.”