Following on from a good year for overseas visitors to Ireland in 2014, indications are that this trend is set to continue, which augurs well for tourism in Clare.
CSO data releaased this week shows that the number of overseas visits between November 2014 and January 2015 increased by 9.1% compared to the corresponding period for 2013/2014.
The CSO Quarterly National Household Survey shows further positive results for the sector with the numbers employed in the accommodation and food services sector (seasonally adjusted) increasing by 1,600.
Tourism Minister Paschal Donohoe welcomed the positive data in respect of overseas tourism.
‘I am very pleased to see that our overseas visitors continue to grow. 2014 saw the fourth consecutive year of growth in visitor numbers. In fact, 2014 broke all previous records in terms of the number of overseas visits from key markets like North America, Germany, France and Spain. We have targeted further growth in 2015 and as part of the drive to maintain this momentum I recently announced details of Tourism Ireland’s 2015 Global Greening initiative, which will see some of the world’s most famous attractions and sites going green to mark St Patrick’s Day. This will kick off a major promotional drive for overseas tourism in 2015,” he said.
Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, stated, “I am delighted to see an increase in overseas visitor numbers of +9% between November 2014 and January 2015, about 123,200 additional visitors when compared with the same three-month period last year. I am really pleased to see growth from all of our market areas around the world – including Britain, North America and Mainland Europe, all up around 10%.”
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.