CSO figures bring good news for tourist sector

on 11/09/2012 12:22:32

The number of tourists visiting Ireland has increased by almost 8%, according to the latest statistics from the Central Statistics Office.

However, the number of Irish people going abroad on their holidays has decreased.

The latest figures from the CSO show that 6.6 million people travelled from overseas to Ireland last year, half a million more than in 2010.

The number of nights spent in Ireland by overseas travellers also rose by more than 6% in 2011, up from 48 million to 50.9 million.

However, it seems more Irish people are opting to have a staycation, rather than go abroad on their holidays.

The number of overseas trips made by Irish residents fell by 4.2% last year, from 6.7 million to 6.4 million trips.

Also the total overseas tourism and travel expenditure of Irish residents fell by 7.2%, from over €5bn in 2010 to over €4.8bn last year.