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The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross TD and Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Patrick O’ Donovan TD, welcomed the CSO figures out today, which confirm strong growth in revenue figures from overseas visitors for the first three months of 2016. The Tourism and Travel statistics from the CSO show that spending in Ireland by overseas visitors (excluding fares) for the first quarter of 2016 rose by 17.5% compared with the same period in 2015. The data also shows that for the first three months of 2016 the number of trips to Ireland in the key target market of holidaymakers rose by 28.4%, while spending by holidaymakers was up 28.8%, when compared with the same period in 2015.

Commenting on the figures, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross TD stated:  “We were already aware that the number of overseas visits to Ireland from January to March 2016 increased by 16.6% when compared to the same period in 2015. Today’s data shows the economic benefits of these visits. Tourism played a key part in our economic recovery and thankfully it continues to do so. I look forward to working with the tourism agencies to ensure that this strong performance is maintained particularly as we enter peak tourism season.”

In terms of the spend associated with overseas visits, all of Ireland’s main markets grew strongly in the first quarter of 2016 compared to the same period in 2015:-

· Revenue associated with visits from Great Britain grew by 18.2%
· Revenue associated with visits from North America grew by 15.2%
· Revenue associated with visits from Mainland Europe grew by 14%
· Revenue associated with visits from other long-haul destinations grew by 30%

The figures are based on detailed surveys of overseas visitors and the CSO release also contains detailed information on expenditure, purpose of visit, and bednights.

The Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Patrick O’ Donovan TD added that:  “The success of the joint efforts of Government, tourism agencies and the Irish tourist industry is reflected in the CSO statistics released today. Thankfully tourism is a sector which benefits all part of the country providing valuable economic benefits and employment opportunities. We are determined to maintain this upward momentum and even surpass the record tourism figures achieved in 2015.”

Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said:  “Today’s CSO figures are really strong, confirming that revenue from overseas visitors to Ireland grew by +18% in the first three months of 2016, an additional €102 million for the Irish economy compared with Q1 in 2015. Total overseas visitors grew by +17%. Holiday visitors grew by +28%. and revenue from holidaymakers grew by +29%. This was an excellent performance and reflects the sentiment we’ve been hearing from our tourism partners overseas and here at home. As we head into the high season, we are determined to ensure that tourism growth continues. We have an extensive programme of promotions under way around the world, reminding prospective visitors everywhere that there has never been a better time to come and discover the island of Ireland.”
Welcoming today’s Q1 figures, Fáilte Ireland CEO Shaun Quinn cautioned:  “As these figures indicate, it’s been a very good year so far and we’re probably heading for a record year in tourism. A lot of this growth has been driven largely by an increase in access into the country as well as currency movements in our favour in terms of the dollar. Fáilte Ireland’s three brands, the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland’s Ancient East and our new Dublin brand, are also beginning to really perform and are resonating really well in the market. So tourism is well positioned at the moment.”
However, there are still challenges – including the spectre of Brexit next week and the capacity issues in Dublin which we reported on earlier this week – which serve as a caution against complacency. We must ensure growth is sustainable and the sector must do all that it can to maintain its competitiveness as well as continually innovate to meet the changing needs of the modern consumer.”