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IRISH TOURISM HAS had a record-breaking year, with almost nine million visits taking place in the first 11 months of 2016.
There were 8,919,700 million visits to Ireland up to the end of November, an 11% increase compared to the same period in 2015.
Visits from mainland Europe grew by 8.8% for January to November, up to 3,096,300 visits. North America registered an increase of 18.3% for the same period, up to 1,699,100 visits.
Visits from Great Britain were up by 11.1%, to 3,620,500. Visits from the rest of the world (mostly long-haul and developing markets) totalled 503,700 for the first 11 months of 2016, representing an increase of 1.9%.
Commenting on today’s CSO figures, Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said: “Today’s figures indicate that this was the best ever January to November period for overseas visitors to Ireland, with almost nine million arrivals, representing an increase of+11% – 884,400 additional overseas visitors when compared with the first 11 months of 2015. It is clear that 2016 will be another record-breaking year for Irish tourism.
Tourism Ireland has a number of late-season campaigns under way right now, to kick-start our promotional effort for 2017. The aim is to grow overseas tourism revenue in 2017 by 4.5%, to €5.7 billion for the island of Ireland.
‘Best ever year’
Transport Minister Shane Ross welcomed the news, saying: “The figures published today confirm that 2016 has been the best ever year for Irish tourism.
“The record number of visits to Ireland has had a positive influence on the associated revenue. Spending by overseas visitors to Ireland in the first nine months of 2016 was up 10% compared to the same period in 2015.”
Tourism is the Republic of Ireland’s largest indigenous industry, responsible for in excess of 4% of Gross National Product (GNP) – the total value of all goods and services produced nationally in a year – and employing approximately 220,000 people.
In 2015, Ireland welcomed approximately 9.5 million overseas visitors to the island of Ireland, bringing in revenue of around €4.9 billion.
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It’s a bit like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.
@Celtic Spirit: That accent man…
@Celtic Spirit: what were they supposed to do when people didn’t have symptoms and therefore assume therefore it would to be fair to assume this is the case for the wider community
@james foley: From the article it says that all guidelines were followed. I would have my doubts on that. The company might have put procedures in place, but it doesn’t mean that they were adhered to or enforced.
I do wonder what the repercussions will be if it is found that the guidelines were not adhered to. Hypothetically speaking, if a worker dies from contracting covid due to negligence on the employers behalf, can the employer be charged with murder?
@Grainnewhale: if that is the case, then heads need to be roll.
@Grainnewhale: Do you have evidence of this?
@For Goodness Sake: Paul Murphy TD raised concerns about the possibility of large clusters of Covid-19 infections in meat processing plants THREE MONTHS AGO, he was sneered at and ignored by FFG Gov’t Ministers. Why did they ignore him as it’s now come to pass?
@Frank Cauldhame: he was sneered plenty by the keep the pubs shut lot on the journal too, plenty of the champagne socialist type deflection going on, as if how much money paul has or hasn’t has anything to do with risks associated with these plants.
@james foley: Iv worked in Meat factories, absolutly no guidelines followed, and such horrendous pay that workers are forced to live together in poor conditions. Terribly long hours which make people sick, most of these factories expect 60hrs a week.
@Grainnewhale: how can asymptomatic people be tested and show positive without the HSE knowing.
It is down to those doing the testing to report to HSE
Staff not given face coverings, having to buy them on their own accord from their minimum wage.
Staff being made work without any social distancing. If non compliant the fear of being sacked.
@Bio_Man: if this is so, I hope the employees come together and highlight this in the media. Not saying these guys did anything wrong but it might just put other wreckless companies off
@Paul Stewart: me either that’s just what has been reported from other meat factories.
@Bio_Man: also staff taking nurofen before going into work to hide temp because they don’t get paid sick leave. Flip side is that anyone reckoning they have no underlying conditions is risking getting the virus coz they get paid 350 yo sit at home, more than if they work.
@Dawn Harvey: The Farmers Journal is reporting that many are sub contractors registered in Poland, no prsi paid here so no E350.
@Cormac Laffan: which means it’s more than likely that they’re contracts are so bad, they’ll take nurofen to keep temp down and risk it rather than not get paid.
@Dawn Harvey: Yep, there’s a lot more to it if you can find the journal report, it popped up on my Google newsfeed.
@Bio_Man: the rumours about O’brien Foods is wrong, face coverings are worn, staff have to wear face masks as its a factory that deals with food for human consumption, they also wear gloves and overalls.
There’s also a thermal body scanner checking staff’s temperature when they arrive. That said staff get close to each other to talk over the noise of the machines, most workers have to wear ear defenders due to the noise of the ham slicers, and the temperature is kept cold, about 4 degrees which favours preservation avd transmission of the virus. They also use mobile phones to talk to each other in other parts of the factory floor.
The other factory isn’t refrigerated, and staff are able to socially distance better than at O’Brien’s.
There maybe some spresd in the factories, but it’s likely the disease is also spreading in the worker’s accommodation, in the direct provision centres and dormitories the live at, where hygiene and social distancing isn’t or cannot be enforced.
@Dawn Harvey: “also staff taking nurofen”
Up to 90% of cases are asymptomatic, this can be spread by people who feel fine.
@Dawn Harvey: So you don’t actually know anyone who does this. Why would anyone buy and take anything if they haven’t any symptoms?
@David Jordan: interesting, the conditions seem to favour transmission in meat processing plants not just in Ireland and I heard all you have said as well as the cooling fans keeping the air in circulation and all this seems to assist in large outbreaks in Ireland and elsewhere.
Kildare chilling, where all employees tested, tested positive is apparently still operating. The mind boggles
@Anne Marie Devlin: when words like apparently are used in a sentence it makes it sound like a rumour and not a fact .
@Anne Marie Devlin: Are you saying the people who tested positive are still working?
@Terry McSweeney: well it was open on Friday when I drove past, gate open, full car park, lights on so I imagine @Anne Marie Devlin is correct rather than just rumour. Obvioulsy they’re finally closing on Monday at the request of the Minister for Health.
@Anne Marie Devlin: that would be greed Anne.
Could the factory bosses be lying? Profit before people maybe?
@John Walsh: that’s what I’m thinking. And as I’ve said above. If the employer is discovered to have been deceitful and an employee dies, can the employer be charged with manslaughter?
We love our cheap food, and it doesn’t matter whose lives are lived in poverty to deliver it to our supermarkets.
@John Mulligan: You got it right in one. The big meat barons can sport their wealth, fly around in helicopters buy hotel chains, private hospitals, news companies, journalists, and of course politicians all at the expense of the producers and workers.
@John Mc Donagh: and the avg consumer is delighted to pay tiny prices fod food and clothing knowing the pay and conditions are awful.
Many consumers will claim they don’t know this, but they are merely ignoring the well documented reality.
The avg consumer is very much at fault for the situation with these workers.
@John Mulligan: Don’t forget our cheap products coming from semi-slave work in Asia
The meat baron’s won’t get touched folks, you can count on it. They will make sure manager’s take the fall or just call their mates in government and make sure this story gets buried or deflected with something else quickly…..don’t believe me, just remember the uproar when the crash hit and the amount of lives ruined by the likes of the Anglo circle etc, and how many of them did hard time or anytime for what they did???….not one bar a few show trials and that’s what will happen here. Oh maybe we will get a nice fancy tribunal to come out and “investigate” how this happened down the line, but ya we know how they go as well just ask the tax dodging media mogul about that
They were jobs for locals being advertised on the 4th on local GAA Twitter accounts probably looking for people to fill the gaps with people out sick, apparently they don’t mind infecting the community, just keep them production lines running and we will use good PR to mitigate any issues later ……
@Michael O Reilly: it’s regarded as a pretty good company to work for wishing the area. Plenty of local support for it.
@Shawn O’Ceallaghan: I wouldn’t say there’s much local support for the consequences of buying into this shabby business model. Still, a timely reminder to all of us that we are all involved in society , it’s values and practices, whether we want to acknowledge it or not.
@Shawn O’Ceallaghan: I’m from the area, and no it’s by no means regarded as a good place to work .
One simple question. Why didn’t O’Brien Foods/Brady Hams close down the plant immediately when the employees were tested instead of waiting for the results which they surely suspected would be positive . Grossly negligent.
@Colonel Grant: What’s worse is they were trying to recruit students for temporary roles as recently as August 4th to fill the vacancies left from those out sick or isolating with covid.
Totally irresponsible and dangerous behaviour from management with a complete lack of regard for health and safety of their staff and the general public.
This is the result of a handful of unscrupulous individuals left unchecked/abetted by government ministers, let run the meat industry in a fashion that would not be out of place in south Africa in the 80s. Fuk the farmers, fuk the employees and fuk anybody that takes issue with the way they run this industry.
I guarantee you will not find many ex employees that will have one good word to say about the owners of that factory o Brien foods. They are penny pinchers so I’ll bet they are at fault and should be punished.
I buy my meat from my local butcher. He rears and kills his own meat, makes his own sausages, burgers and puddings. A bit more expensive but much better than that processed sh!t they sell in the supermarket chains.
@John Cassin: Aren’t you lucky that you can afford to, and that you don’t have to work there? Spare a thought for those who have no choice.
Happy as Larry friend of fianna fail enjoying his millions with his helicopter etc.broke the country before sending meat to Libya and if they didn’t pay government picked up the tab up fianna fail the people’s party
It makes no difference if they close the factory when a lot of the workers lived together in cramped conditions
And there was me thinking auld granny Brady making Ham ,and instead it’s a massive factory maying processed HOM
All the products in that factory should be binned
Where are the employees whilst they aren’t working now?
One thing is for sure, the almost daily journal articles on keeping the pubs closed have disappeared. Iam sure they working hard with the powers to be on producing 2 pages of scientific evidence to show the Govs reasons for Meat Plants to open and to remain open despite multiple incidents, some dating back to last May, similar to the produced scientific ‘evidence’ for basing decision to keep pubs closed.
Send answers in a brown envelope please.
3 out of the 4 factories are staying closed. Ó Brien foods still staying open at lower staff level!!
Their ham should be boycotted. Selfish decision bin everything and stay shut is what they should be doing a disgrace.
https://www.rte.ie/amp/1158126/?__twitter_impression=true
Not been funny but can people get infected by eating the contaminated meat??
@Bartron5000: Of course not tin foil hat wearer. Same risk category as opened Meat Plants , based on in-depth Gov scientific research and some journal fact-checking on the side. Maybe a slightly higher risk from packaging. The journal commentator scientists should be on now shortly to prove what the current Gov narrative is at the moment, you know the ones with all the scientific evidence, logic and reason to keep pubs closed.
Close these factories and get rid of cheap labour and start again simple
Should have been closed months ago… #beefbarons
So let me check if I am reading this correctly: in meat factories, one of the few workplaces where there has been mass testing, there is a dangerous outbreak of asymptomatic covid. Mass panic all round.
Rosderra in Edenderry reported 80 cases 3 months ago. Still not closed to this day. Carroll’s in Tullamore still open and operating. Yet I can’t go to the gym to exercise?
Shut down all affected plants until every one tests negative , and make the employers pay those out of work full Irish levels of minimum wage until reopening . And open up the counties in lock down its a complete farce that counties have to pay the price of bad business practices highlighted months ago
It’s an absolute disgrace that the Minister for Health hopes that these 4 plants don’t open on Monday.
Why doesn’t the government order them to close immediately.
PR stunt by o briens now to save face. A symptomatic as they were dosed up on paracetamol.
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