FERRY PASSENGER AND car numbers have increased for the first time in two years.
The latest figures from the Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO) shows that passengers travelling to and from Ireland increased by four per cent during Q1 of this year, when compared to the same time last year, while tourist car numbers were up by one per cent.
For the Republic of Ireland, passenger numbers increased by five per cent to 353,306 while car numbers increased by one per cent to 99,277.
For Northern Ireland, tourist numbers increased by four per cent to 260,144, while tourist car numbers increased by two per cent to 80,029.
On the cross channel routes between the UK and Ireland, which accounts for 92 per cent of total traffic, passenger numbers grew by five per cent.
Meanwhile, continental passenger traffic between Ireland and France fell by 15 per cent during the first quarter.
While these figures seem positive, the impact of Easter falling in Q1 instead of Q2 is likely to have had an impact on the passenger volumes with initial data showing that passenger and tourist car numbers correspondingly declined in April, with overall numbers expected to be down for the first four months compared to same period last year.
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