In April 2019, the total number of trips to Ireland by overseas residents increased by 4.3% to 938,300 – an overall increase of 38,400 compared to twelve months earlier.
Trips by residents of Great Britain increased by 5.1% to 339,000 while trips by residents of European Countries other than Great Britain (Other Europe) increased by 3.3% to 364,600. Trips by residents of USA and Canada to Ireland increased by 3.7% to 185,200 while trips to Ireland from Other Areas increased by 8.1% to 49,400.
The total number of overseas trips made by Irish residents during April 2019 increased by 13.2% to 745,100.
The total number of trips (Irish residents’ trips overseas plus trips to Ireland) in April 2019 increased by 8.0% to 1,683,300 when compared to twelve months earlier.
In the four months to the end of April 2019, the total number of trips to Ireland increased by 5.1% when compared with the same period in 2018. Irish residents’ trips overseas during the same period increased by 9.5%.
Commenting on the figures, Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said: “Today’s figures indicate a solid performance from our source markets. Visitors from North America grew by +8.3% in the first four months of 2019, an extra 42,300 US and Canadian visitors. We’ve also seen good results from Mainland Europe, up +6.1%, with strong performances in particular from France and Spain. Visitor numbers from the rest of the world increased by +7.3%.
“Britain remains our most challenging market for the upcoming peak season. While we welcome the fact that visitor numbers are up +2.4% for January-April, we know that currency fluctuations and the Brexit extension will continue to cause uncertainty for the summer season and may affect travel demand. Next week, we will launch a new strategy for the British market; we will also continue to monitor the market closely, working in conjunction with our British-based Brexit Taskforce. Our aim is to continue to grow overseas visitor numbers and revenue this year despite the uncertainty around Brexit and some slippage in planned air services from North America and Britain.”