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Trips to Ireland by overseas residents for March 2010 were down by 18.5% to 434,200 compared to March 2009, a decrease of 98,600 according to the Central Statistics Office.
Visitors from Great Britain were down by 21% to 212,700 while trips to Ireland by residents of other Europe and North America decreased by 23% and 2.5% respectively. Trips by residents of other countries increased by 3,100. Irish residents made 543,100 overseas trips in March 2010 which was 3.7% less than the number that travelled in March 2009. The CSO “Airport Pairings” database contains information on every direct flight in and out of the nine Irish airports on a monthly basis. Data is available from January 2006 to February 2010.
I response to queries on the CSO figures issued today for overseas visitor numbers to Ireland for March, Niall Gibbons, Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland, said: “We are very much aware that the first quarter of 2010 has been extremely difficult and today’s CSO figures for March reflect the impact on Ireland and on tourism enterprises across the island.
“The lag effect of the world recession on consumer spending is certainly impacting on visitor numbers to Ireland. And, as well as the poor economic climate, the difficulties around the volcanic ash plume which closed airports here and in major markets have been a major additional concern. Quite apart from the ash, air access (i.e. November to March) to the Republic of Ireland dropped -18% this winter when compared to the same period last year as airlines reduced departures and frequency. This meant a substantial drop in available access opportunities for potential visitors to Ireland this spring.
“Over 60% of overseas holidaymakers come between May and September so there is still everything to play for, for this year. Tourism Ireland has a comprehensive promotional programme under way right now around the world, working in close cooperation with industry partners across the island of Ireland as well as with a wide range of international tour operators and with major air and sea carriers," said Niall Gibbons.
