According to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office, nearly 8.3 million people took a vacation in Ireland in the first ten months of 2016 which equates to an increase of 11.6% on the same period in 2016. October alone say more than 830,000 arrivals to Ireland.
Of those that took a trip to Ireland during that time, more than 3.3 million of them came from Britain and 2.8 million from Mainland Europe. Mainland Europe’s growth mainly came from countries France, Spain, Germany and the Benelux countries. Also according to the CSO, the North America market saw an increase of 18% from January to October which accounted for more than 1.5 million visitors.
Tourism Ireland are reporting nearly 8.3 million people took a vacation in Ireland in the first ten months of 2016
Tourism Ireland has welcomed these figures saying they represent the best ever January to October period that the tourism sector has seen. Additionally the total number of overseas trips made by Irish residents from the months of August to October also increased by 4.1% to 2,086,500.
Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross TD commented on the fantastic figures saying, “As we approach the end of 2016, all the indications are that we will have enjoyed another record year for Irish tourism. We have been fortunate to enjoy consistent increases in terms of overall visitor numbers to Ireland and foreign revenue earnings in recent years. I am particularly pleased to note that the figures for August to October show that both the North American and British markets show an increase compared to the corresponding period in 2015.”
Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland Niall Gibbons additionally commented on the Central Statistics Office figures saying: “Today’s figures indicate that this was the best ever month of October for Irish tourism, with more than 830,000 arrivals recorded. It was also the best ever January to October period for overseas visitors to Ireland, with almost 8.3 million arrivals, representing an increase of almost +12% – 858,000 additional overseas visitors when compared with the first ten months of 2015.”
See here for more information https://www.tourismireland.com/