Rise in number of visitors to Ireland

The number of overseas visitors to Ireland rose by 6.1 per cent from June to August, according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

A total of 2.13 million trips to Ireland were recorded during the three months, a rise of 123,500 compared to the same period a year earlier.

Visitor numbers were boosted by a 12.4 per cent rise in trips to Ireland from citizens of countries outside of North America and Europe.

The number of visitors from North America increased by 7.6 per cent to 381,100 while trips by British residents were up 4.8 per cent to 885,800. Visitors from other European countries rose by 4.8 per cent to 885,800.

Although visitor figures are up on last year, the number of trips taken by overseas visitors is down by almost 400,000 compared to the same three-month period in 2008.

For the first eight months of 2011, visits to Ireland are up 11 per cent from a year earlier to just under 4.5 million. Visitors from Britain rose 8.3 per cent, while visitors from other European countries and from North America were up 12.6 per cent and 13 per cent respectively.

The statistics also show a decline in the number of overseas visits taken by Irish residents.

The number of overseas visits taken fell by 5.3 per cent to 2.07 million when compared to the same three-month period in 2010. There was also a 1.2 per cent decline for June to August 2009.

For the first eight months of 2011 visits abroad were down 4.1 per cent to just under 4.5 million.

Minister for Tourism Leo Varadkar said the latest figures were encouraging and that the tourism sector was on track to record growth in overseas visitors for the first time since 2007.

The figures were also welcomed by Tourism Ireland who cautioned against further growth.

"Following this encouraging growth in overseas visitors for the January-August period, current indications are that growth for the rest of this year may soften somewhat," said the organisation's chief executive Niall Gibbons.

"The economic turmoil of recent months has brought increased uncertainty, affecting business and consumer confidence. Given the scale of the challenges and the ongoing uncertainty facing the global economy right now, travel and tourism looks likely to face a fairly cautious passage into 2012," he added.