CSO data released today shows that the number of overseas visits to Ireland for the period February-April 2017 was 2.065 million, slightly up on the same period in 2016.
Comparing the three-month period February-April 2017 with the same period in 2016 shows:
- Overall visits to Ireland were up by 0.1% to 2.065 million visits;
- North America was up by 25.7% to 0.36 million visits;
- Great Britain registered a decrease of -10.7% to 0.86 million visits;
- Visits from Mainland Europe increased by 2.2% to 0.74 million visits;
- Visits from the rest of the world increased by 16.7% to 0.11 million visits.
Commenting on the latest data, Shane Ross T.D., Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport said: “The 25% increase in visitor numbers from North America in this three-month period is very encouraging, as is the strong performance from major European markets such as Germany, France and Spain. Of course, we remain conscious of the risks posed by international developments and Brexit is foremost amongst those from a tourism perspective. The figures for visitors from Britain remain a concern but, given that a large part of the response to Brexit is around market diversification, the North American and European numbers are reassuring. This is particularly the case when one considers that visitors from these markets tend to stay longer and deliver higher average revenue. Nevertheless, as well as promoting diversification, we will also continue to direct resources to protecting our share of the British market to the greatest extent possible.”
Minister of State for Tourism and Sport Patrick O’Donovan T.D. added: “Tourism is an industry that reaches all parts of the country and provides jobs and income in areas where they are most needed. Employment in the Accommodation and Food Services sector is a good indicator for employment in the tourism industry as a whole. It was heartening, therefore, to see CSO employment data published earlier this week which showed a 7% increase in employment in that sector in Q1 2017 compared to the same quarter in 2016. Maintaining competitiveness in the industry will be essential in sustaining this growth, particularly in view of the risks arising from Brexit. I welcome the fact that the Tourism agencies are engaging with the industry in order to equip them to meet the challenge of Brexit.”
Niall Gibbons CEO of Tourism Ireland stated “I am pleased to see the continued strong performance from North America, with today’s CSO figures confirming an increase of almost +26% for February to April. A number of factors are working in our favour, including more airline seats than ever, from more gateways across the US and Canada. Visitor numbers from Australia and Developing Markets for February to April are also really strong, up almost +17%. And arrivals from Mainland Europe grew by over +2% – with important markets like France (+8.6%), Germany (+3.8%) and Spain (+10.4%) continuing to perform well. Building on the success of recent years and sustaining growth into the future is our focus now. The challenge of Brexit is very real and the drop in British visitor numbers (-10.7%) for the February to April period reflects that. We continue to work with our industry partners, to diversify our tourism markets. Some years back, Tourism Ireland identified North America and Mainland Europe as the markets which offer the strongest return on investment, in terms of holiday visitors and expenditure.
“The decline in the value of sterling has made holidays and short breaks here more expensive for British visitors; and economic uncertainty is undoubtedly making British travellers more cautious about their discretionary spending. This is impacting on travel to Ireland. Therefore, competitiveness and the value for money message are more important than ever in Britain right now. Tourism Ireland is placing a greater focus on our ‘culturally curious’ audience, who are less impacted by currency fluctuations. We are also undertaking an expanded partnership programme with airlines, ferry operators and tour operators, communicating a strong price-led message to drive home value for money. We will continue to monitor developments around Brexit closely, to better understand and plan for its implications.”
Paul Kelly CEO of Fáilte Ireland stated: “With results in for the first four months of 2017 and with comparative data which includes Easter 2016 and 2017, we can now draw some clearer conclusions about how the sector is performing this year. While Europe and America are still performing well, the drop in the British market is now very obvious and should prompt concern – even at this early stage of the year.
“It is crucial that tourism businesses continue to identify and exploit existing opportunities out of Great Britain and Northern Ireland but also identify new sales and business opportunities in continental Europe and the US. To assist them to do this, Fáilte Ireland is currently developing a new Brexit Response Programme including a European Sales Management initiative to tap the immediate potential there. The Brexit Response Programme will focus on building capability in the tourism industry to ensure that the relevant skills and insights are available to tourism enterprises and will provide a range of practical supports to hundreds of businesses.”