Data published by the Central Statistics Office today shows that spending in Ireland by overseas visitors (excluding fares) for 2017 rose by 6.5% to €4.874 billion compared with 2016. The data also shows that the number of trips to Ireland in the key target market of holidaymakers rose by 7.3%, while spending by holidaymakers was up 8.3% for 2017 when compared with 2016.
Commenting on the information from the CSO Minister Shane Ross T.D. said:
“Today’s release confirms that 2017 showed further growth in respect of revenue generated by overseas visitors. The revenue generated from overseas visitors to Ireland in 2017 was up by 6.5% to €4.874 billion, which demonstrates the impressive economic contribution of these visitors to GDP. This economic contribution is felt right across the country, in both urban and rural areas.
A major factor contributing to our outstanding performance in 2017 was market diversification, which has played a vital role in offsetting the Brexit-related decline of the British market. This has helped to deliver an extraordinary six years of consecutive growth in revenue from overseas visitors. Last week, I attended the ITB in Berlin which is the largest travel trade fair in the world to see the work being done on the ground by Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland. It brought home to me that we cannot take continued growth for granted as the competition is very strong. I believe that we can be successful in continuing to grow tourism from overseas markets but we must be mindful of factors such as sustainability, seasonality and regionality as we plan for the future. "
The figures confirm strong growth in revenue from North America and long-haul markets. The performance from Europe has also been good while Great Britain has, as expected, experienced a decline:-
- North America up by 14.1% to €1.523bn
- Mainland Europe up by 6.6% to €1.767bn
- “Other” long-haul markets up by 10.3% to €577m
- Great Britain down by -5.1% to €1.007bn
Minister of State Brendan Griffin T.D. added:
“I am delighted to welcome today’s CSO release and, particularly, the continued growth in revenue from overseas visitors in 2017. I am acutely aware of the importance of this revenue in local economies. The contribution of North American visitors in 2017 was a very impressive €1.523 billion, representing growth in revenue of 14.1%, which reinforces the importance of investing in campaigns that will entice these visitors to all parts of Ireland. Later this week I will be attending a number of engagements with Tourism Ireland along with the travel trade and media in California to help build on the progress already achieved.”
Commenting on the CSO figures, Niall Gibbons, chief executive of Tourism Ireland, said:
”Today’s CSO figures are very positive, confirming that revenue from overseas visitors to Ireland grew by +6.5% during 2017, an additional €292 million for the Irish economy compared with 2016. Total overseas visitor numbers increased by +3.5%; and within the total number of overseas visitors to Ireland, holiday visitors grew by +8% during 2017 – 322,000 additional holiday visitors.”
“Particularly welcome is the continued strong performance from North America, with visitor numbers up +16.3% and an increase of almost +14% in spending by US and Canadian visitors – an outstanding performance. Tourism Ireland’s market diversification strategy has prioritised North America as a market which offers strong return on investment. We have also seen growth in visitor numbers from Mainland Europe (almost +5%) and really strong growth from our long-haul markets, including Australia (almost +13%).
“The decline in visitor numbers from Britain continues to be a concern (-4.6% in 2017). The fall in the value of sterling has made holidays and short breaks here more expensive for British visitors and has made Britain more affordable for visitors from many of our top markets. This year, Tourism Ireland will continue to focus on our ‘culturally curious’ audience, who are less impacted by currency fluctuations. Competitiveness and value for money remain more important than ever right in Britain now.
“Our focus now is very much on 2018. Our aim is to grow overseas tourism revenue this year by +5%, to €6 billion, for the island of Ireland. Our promotions will receive a tremendous boost over the coming days, with our Global Greening initiative for St Patrick’s Day, which is bigger and better than ever before. St Patrick’s Day traditionally marks the real start of the tourism season for us and we intend to take every opportunity to capitalise on Ireland’s heightened profile.”
Meanwhile, Paul Kelly, chief executive of Fáilte Ireland commented: ““Today’s figures confirm that 2017 was a record year both in terms of visitor numbers and revenue - with almost €300 million in additional revenue generated for the country by overseas visitors. We also estimate that, last year, tourism employment grew by an impressive 10,000 jobs. This growth in revenue, and its ability to spur employment, underscores the vital importance of tourism for Ireland. Its importance is even greater when you consider the fact that this growth in revenue and jobs is generated in many parts of the country where there are not many other major industries and where tourism is absolutely vital to local communities.
“Last year may have been a record year, but the tourism industry will not be resting on its laurels. At Fáilte Ireland, we will continue to invest in and support growth within the tourism sector with particular emphasis on extending the tourism season for many operators and driving activity into those parts of the country where we believe there is potential for greater visitor capacity and growth.”