THE FIRST SIX months of 2015 have seen a 11% increase in the number of overseas visitors into the country.

This indicates the best January to June period on record for tourism.

New figures released by the Central Statistics Office have shown 3,876,200 visits into the country for the first six months of 2015.

There has been growth in the number of tourists coming in from each of the various regions internationally.

Where have the visitors been coming from?

The market that saw the biggest growth was visits of those coming in from North America, up 14.7% to 659,200 visitors.

Visitors from Great Britain still account for the biggest share of the Irish tourist market, with 1,612,000 visits up to the end of June – a 9.4% increase on the year before.

There was also growth of 13% for visitors from mainland Europe, with 1,376,900 visits.

Reaction 

In response to the new figures, Minister of State in the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport, Michael Ring, said:

These latest figures show that the efforts of everybody, from the highest levels of Government to the smallest B&B, are paying off.

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe described the figures as, “excellent news for everybody involved in Irish tourism and reflects the hard work carried out by the government and all those involved in the tourism industry.”

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