CSO has today released its Tourism and Travel statistics for the second quarter of 2018.
The figures show that spending in Ireland by overseas visitors (excluding carrier fares) was €2,270 million for the first six months of 2018, up 8.5% on the corresponding period in 2017.
Welcoming today’s figures, Fáilte Ireland Chief Executive Paul Kelly said:
“Today’s set of revenue figures for the first half of the year are very encouraging. Not only is the revenue from overseas tourism up by 8.5% but when you look into the detail, the revenue from holidaymakers in particular is up by 11% which is a great reflection of Ireland’s continuing attractiveness as a destination. This performance is no accident. Through a mixture of a robust set of policies from Government – including a competitive VAT rate and zero airport tax - strong international marketing by Tourism Ireland, as well as Fáilte Ireland’s ongoing work to support the industry and build strong regional experience brands, we are seeing continued growth that not only generates €1.7 billion in Exchequer revenue, but sustains communities across the country. Indeed, on the trends in today’s data, there is a strong indication that overseas tourism’s contribution to the tax take will increase by €100m this year.
“The key focus now is to ensure that we can continue to build on this growth and overcome any challenges the industry may face in the near future – particularly with Brexit on the horizon. This strong growth simply will not continue if we don’t plan ahead and diversify into other markets to offset the potential impact of losing visitors from our nearest overseas market. At Fáilte Ireland, we will continue to work with Government, public sector bodies, private businesses and local communities to target new markets and continue to build strong tourism product on the ground across the country.”
Today’s figures show:
-
Total overseas visitors to Ireland grew by 7% to 4.8 million in the first six months of 2018, with North America and Mainland Europe growing by 11% and 10% respectively
-
Total revenue excluding fares grew by 9% to €2.3 million, again with North America (+9%) and Mainland Europe (+12%) contributing strongly
-
Holiday visits grew by 11%, ahead of the growth in visitor numbers, with holiday nights and revenue up by 8% and 11% respectivelyOverall visitor nights increased by 6%; North American (+5%) and Mainland Europe (+13%) grew substantially while British nights declined by 4%
-
Nights in Hotels were up 2% on the same six months of last year while Guesthouse/B&B nights grew by 21%
Overseas Tourism January to June 2018
% change
|
|
Visitors |
Nights |
Revenue (exc fares) |
|
Britain |
2.0 |
-4 |
1 |
|
North America |
11 |
5 |
9 |
|
Mainland Europe |
10 |
13 |
12 |
|
Other areas |
1 |
3 |
9 |
|
Total |
7 |
6 |
9 |
|
Holiday |
11 |
8 |
11 |
|
Business |
-7 |
0 |
-2 |
|
VFR |
7 |
1 |
4 |
|
Hotels |
|
2 |
|
|
GH/B&Bs |
|
21 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Source: CSO Tourism and Travel survey, 5th September 2018