Number of trips taken abroad down 6%

The number of trips taken overseas fell by 6 per cent in the final three months of 2008, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

From October to December, a total of 1,636,000 trips were taken abroad by Irish citizens compared to 1,734,000 a year earlier.

The amount of money spent by Irish citizens taking trips abroad amounted to €1,469 million.

During the same period the number of overseas visitors to Ireland fell by 5 per cent from 1,756,000 in the fourth quarter of 2007 to 1,665,000 for the final quarter fo last year.

Visits by US and Canadian citizens declined by 14 per cent to 179,000 from 208,000 over the year. The number of visitors from Britain fell by 8 per cent from 922,000 to 851,000.

Visits to Ireland by people from other European countries rose slightly over the year from 558,000 in the fourth quarter of 2007 to 561,000 for the last three months of 2008.

The number of nights spent in hotels by visitors to Ireland decreased by 18 per cent, compared to the same period in 2007. A 37 per cent decline was seen in over night stays by US and Canadian citizens.

The latest figures also show an 11 per cent fall in the number of people visiting Ireland for recreational reasons.

In addition, just under 18 per cent of overseas trips to the country for business reasons were same-day visits.