Port survey of overseas holidaymakers 2011

31 May 2012

Overseas holidaymaker attitudes to Ireland as a destination - 2011 survey highlights

• Ninety nine per cent of overseas holidaymakers told us that their Irish holiday had matched or exceeded their expectations with more than a third (35%) saying that their holiday exceeded their expectations. Just over half of North Americans (51%) said that their Irish holiday was better than they expected.
• More than half of overseas holidaymakers (54%) said that they planned to return to Ireland within the next few years up from 52% in 2010. Almost half of British holidaymakers (47%) said that they would come back to Ireland within the next twelve months.
• On a scale of 0-10, where 0 is definitely would not recommend an Irish holiday and 10 is definitely would recommend a holiday in Ireland, 67% of overseas holidaymakers gave Ireland a score of 9 or 10. North American and German holidaymakers were the most enthusiastic, with more than seven out of ten (73% and 71%) endorsing a holiday in Ireland with scores of 9 or 10.
• Overseas holidaymakers ranked Irish people (91%) and a sense of safety and security (90%) as very important factors when considering Ireland for a holiday. The beauty of Ireland’s scenery and the range of natural attractions (85% each) were also considered key drivers. Our interesting history and culture (83%) was another key component in the consideration of overseas holidaymakers coming to Ireland.
• In terms of our history and culture, six in ten (62%) said that they were very interested in Natural Ireland and more than half of respondents (57%) expressed a similar level of interest in Ireland’s traditional culture.
• Ireland rated well in terms of people’s actual experience of these factors. Ninety-six percent of overseas holidaymakers said that they were very satisfied with the friendliness and hospitality of the people they met while on holiday. The beauty of Ireland’s scenery and range of its natural attractions were considered very satisfactory by more than nine out of ten of holidaymakers interviewed (93% and 91% respectively). A similar proportion (93%) stated they were very satisfied with Ireland as a safe and secure destination. Eighty-nine percent were very satisfied with our interesting history and culture.
• When respondents were asked to identify Ireland’s advantages compared to other holiday destinations, almost half (46%) mentioned Irish people and over a third cited our scenery (37%) and our culture and history (35%).
• In 2011, Millward Brown Lansdowne, on behalf of Fáilte Ireland, interviewed 1,510 overseas holidaymakers at Ireland’s air and sea ports between May and October 2011. The aim of the survey was to investigate overseas holidaymakers’ reasons for choosing Ireland for a holiday and to compare their expectations with the reality of an Irish holiday and to discover the perceived advantages and disadvantages of Ireland as a holiday destination.