Data published by the Central Statistics Office today shows that spending in Ireland by overseas visitors (excluding fares) for 2016 rose by 8.8% compared with 2015. The data also shows that the number of trips to Ireland in the key target market of holidaymakers rose by 8.4%, while spending by holidaymakers was up 9.3% for 2016 when compared with 2015.
Commenting on the information from the CSO, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Shane Ross T.D. said: “The figures published today confirm once again that 2016 was a record year for Irish tourism. Previous information from the CSO had shown that was a record breaking 9.584 million overseas visits to Ireland in 2016 and today's data confirms that this translated into overseas visitor revenue of over €4.5 billion. This is an important contribution to the Irish economy and represents an increase of 8.8% on 2015.
Clearly, we approach the end of the first quarter of 2017 in a position of some strength. The challenge for all of us now is to sustain this growth. There is no room for complacency, particularly given the highly competitive nature of the global travel industry and the uncertainty that exists in some markets. Our capacity to sustain growth will depend, among other things, on Ireland maintaining its competitiveness, on effective marketing and on the continued development of attractive and compelling holiday experiences."
The figures confirm significant growth in revenues across all our main market areas. In terms of the spend associated with overseas visits, all of the main markets grew in 2016 compared to 2015 including:-
• Great Britain up by 9.3%
• North America up by 11.5%
• Mainland Europe up by 6.5%
• “Other” long-haul markets up by 8.7%
Minister of State Patrick O Donovan T.D. said: “The joint efforts of Government, the tourism agencies and the industry are clearly delivering in terms of supporting tourism as an important source of employment and revenue. The growth in visitor numbers and associated revenue has helped to create jobs with the CSO Quarterly National Household Survey recently showing a growth of 3.1% in employment in the ‘Accommodation and Food Service Activities’ sector in the final quarter of 2016 when compared with the same period in 2015.”
Commenting on the CSO figures, Niall Gibbons, chief executive of Tourism Ireland, said: “Today’s CSO figures are really strong, confirming that revenue from overseas visitors to Ireland grew by +9% during 2016, an additional €360 million for the Irish economy compared with 2015. Total overseas visitor numbers increased by +9%; and holiday visitors also grew by +8% during 2016 – 342,000 additional holiday visitors. Our focus now is very much on 2017. Our aim is to grow overseas tourism revenue this year by +4.5%, to €5.7 billion, for the island of Ireland. Our promotions received a tremendous boost last week, with our Global Greening initiative for St Patrick’s Day, which was bigger and better than ever before. St Patrick’s Day traditionally marks the real start of the tourism season for us and we took every opportunity to capitalise on Ireland’s heightened profile.
Tourism Ireland will create ‘stand out’ for Ireland around the world in 2017, highlighting iconic experiences like the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland’s Ancient East, Titanic Belfast and the Causeway Coastal Route. We will also promote Dublin and Belfast, in particular for shoulder and off-peak travel. Screen tourism will remain a priority, as we continue to capitalise on our connections with Star Wars and Game of Thrones.”
Meanwhile, Paul Kelly, chief executive of Fáilte Ireland commented: “Today’s data is very welcome and confirms that 2016 was indeed a record year. The increase in revenue in 2016 underlines the strategic importance of tourism for the national economy and this country’s ongoing recovery. When you consider that every extra €1m generated by tourism supports almost 30 jobs, the potential for continued growth in the sector to drive further employment throughout the country is clear. Sustained growth will be dependent on continued competitiveness but also on building and investing in compelling visitor experiences. Fáilte Ireland is working with tourism businesses and local stakeholders throughout Ireland to ensure the sector continues to develop and that our visitors’ holiday experience continues to get better and better.”