Tourism Up

The number of holidaymakers visiting Ireland has risen by 240,000.

Official figures have revealed that more than 1.7 million trips were made to the country between April and June, up 15% on the same period last year.

Visitors from the UK rose by 8.5% to 761,000, while trips by residents from North America went up by 17% to 308,800.

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) said holidaymakers from across Europe jumped by a quarter to more than 620,000.

Elsewhere the number of overseas trips by Irish residents also increased to just over 1.7 million, a 5.9% rise from 2010 – which had dropped 12% from 2009.

Approximately 6.7 million overseas visitors came to the island of Ireland in 2010, with almost half coming from Great Britain.

Tourism Minister Leo Varadkar has welcomed the figures, saying they confirm that overseas travel to Ireland is moving into recovery.

But he warned comparisons with 2010 were distorted by the impact of severe weather and the volcanic ash.

“While the figures are a positive indication, we cannot afford to be complacent,” Mr Varadkar said.

“With continuing economic uncertainty in most of our key overseas markets, the tourism agencies and the industry will continue to work together to restore sustainable growth to this vital sector.

“The Government is playing its part through measures such as the VAT cut, reduced employers’ PRSI, and the visa waiver scheme, to support competitiveness as well as key investments to upgrade our tourism products and attractions.”

Junior minister Michael Ring said even though overseas visits to Ireland continue to grow, Irish people are no longer travelling abroad as much as they used to.

“This shows that Irish people, as well as overseas visitors, are rediscovering what makes Ireland special as a place to go on holiday,” he added.

“Once again Ireland is offering real value, world-class quality and genuine hospitality.”

Tourism Ireland Chief Executive Niall Gibbons also welcomed the growth in visitors - and said the push to attract people to Ireland will continue.

"Ireland is now offering better value for money than in a number of years and that message is starting to penetrate through," Mr Gibbons said.

"In the British market, where we had seen declines in 2009 and 2010, we've seen a welcome return to growth in the last two quarters of 2011."

Mr Gibbons said the country had also received a lot of positive publicity arising from the visits of US President Barack Obama and Queen Elizabeth II of the UK.

The figures were also welcomed by tourist industry representatives including the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF), but a note of caution was sounded by IHF President Paul Gallagher.

“In 2010, we experienced a significant drop in oversees visitor numbers as a result of the volcanic ash cloud so it comes as no surprise that figures are now up on the same period last year," Mr Gallagher said.

The figures for the third quarter will provide the first real insight as to whether there has been a sustained recovery in overseas markets," he added.

"While Dublin has experienced an increase in tourism activity, other parts of the country continue to face significant challenges with domestic business down in the West, particularly in Clare, Limerick, Galway and Donegal.”