THE NUMBER OF foreign visitors to Irish shores has increased in a big way in the last three months alone.
The increases seen, as evidenced by the Central Statistics Office’s (CSO) latest official release, suggests that the tourism industry here is booming.
With the likes of the Wild Atlantic Way being such a big hit the figures are perhaps not surprising.
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Overall, the total number of trips taken from foreign shores to Ireland increased by 17.2% year on year for the period December to February to 1,690,400, an increase of 247,000.
Trips by British citizens increased by the greatest amount – up 21.2% to 838,800, while visits from other European nations were up 14.4% to 550,000.
North American visits to these shores where likewise greatly increased, if not to the same extent seen in Europe – they increased by 13% to 199,100.
The situation can also be seen in reverse – overseas trips made by Irish travellers were up 7.7% to 1,363,000 for the same period.
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The resurgent economy is starting to make its presence felt on our travel budgets it seems.
“While this visitor data relates to a small share of the overall season, it is nonetheless very encouraging,” said Shaun Quinn, CEO of Fáilte Ireland, regarding the positive figures.
Quinn cautioned however that the tourism sector is “very susceptible to external factors”.
Sustained tourism growth must be increasingly driven by the strength and international appeal of our brands, like the Wild Atlantic Way, and by ensuring that we continue to provide excellent value for money and top quality.
You can view the relevant CSO data here.
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