THE IRISH tourism sector has rebounded from the difficulties brought about by last year’s volcanic ash cloud, but visitor numbers remain significantly below the levels recorded in 2009.
Figures from the Central Statistics Office show that 1.8 million overseas visitors came to Ireland between April and June – an increase of more than 15 per cent on the same period last year.
A total of 2.9 million people visited Ireland in the first six months of the year, some 300,000 more than in the same period last year but 300,000 fewer than in 2009.
The numbers coming here from the UK, North America and mainland Europe all rose year-on-year between April and June.
The visits of Queen Elizabeth and US president Barack Obama, as well as Dublin’s hosting of the UEFA Europa League final between Portuguese sides Porto and Braga, all contributed to the increase in visitor numbers.
The cohort travelling here from mainland Europe showed the sharpest increase, with 620,700 (up 24 per cent) arriving between April and June.
Visits from the UK increased by almost 60,000 (8.5 per cent) to 761,000, while the number of tourists from North America (308,800) and other areas (91,200) increased by 17 per cent and 21 per cent respectively.
However, the figures for the second quarter of last year were particularly poor as a result of hundreds of flights being cancelled in April and May as a result of the volcanic ash cloud closing airspace over large parts of Europe.
When compared to the second quarter of 2009, visits from the UK and mainland Europe were down almost 100,000 and 38,000 respectively. Visits from North America and other areas were up by 3,000 and 11,000 respectively.
Fáilte Ireland said the improved numbers should be taken with “a pinch of salt” given the difficulties caused by the ash cloud. Figures for the sector between July and September would offer a clearer picture.
It said the amount spent per visitor had fallen but evidence on the ground suggested that business in cities and areas such as the west of Ireland was improving, with many Irish people holidaying at home this year.
However, the Irish Hotels Federation said Dublin had experienced an increase in tourist activity but other areas such as Clare, Limerick, Galway and Donegal continued to face challenges as domestic business had fallen.
Minister for Tourism Leo Varadkar said comparisons with the first half of 2010 were distorted by the volcanic ash cloud but the figures had confirmed indications that overseas travel to Ireland was moving into recovery.
“I am particularly pleased to see that numbers from North America and from other long-haul markets are almost back to 2008 levels.”
Mr Varadkar said that by comparison the British tourism market, which was similarly affected by the ash cloud, saw lower growth, with visits to the UK up by only 6 per cent between January and June.
“With continuing economic uncertainty in most of our key overseas markets, the tourism agencies and the industry will continue to work together to restore sustainable growth to this vital sector.”
Tourism Ireland said the recovery in the UK market, which accounts for more than one-third of visitors, was encouraging and it hoped the visa waiver scheme by the Government would boost tourist numbers from emerging markets like China and India.
Meanwhile, the number of overseas trips taken by Irish people increased by 5.9 per cent year-on-year to 1.77 million. Travel out of Ireland was also affected by the ash cloud and the number of visits fell by more than 120,000 compared to the same period in 2009.
Who's visiting: Figures for April-June
308,800Visitors from North America up 17%
761,000Visitors from the UK up 8.5%
620,700European visitors up 24%
1.8 millionTotal visitors to Ireland
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