Tourism Ireland Looks Back on
a record year for Irish Tourism
€5.78 billion overseas tourism revenue in 2017,
delivered by 10.65 million visitors.
2017 has been the best year ever for overseas tourism to the
island of Ireland, with revenue generated by international visitors
in the region of €5.78 billion (+6.7% on 2016), delivered by some
10.65 million visitors. Growth has come from all our main markets
around the world, with the exception of Britain – with record
numbers arriving here from North America, Mainland Europe,
Australia and developing markets.
In December 2017, Tourism Ireland reflected on highlights of
its promotional activity around the world in 2017. These have
included campaigns for Ireland’s Ancient East, Dublin, the Wild
Atlantic Way, Game of Thrones, a campaign to capitalise on the
Women’s Rugby World Cup, as well as Tourism Ireland’s annual
Global Greening initiative on St Patrick’s Day, which was bigger
than ever before this year.
Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Brendan Griffin TD,
said: “2017 looks set to be another record year for overseas
tourism to Ireland. The latest CSO figures indicate that over
8.5 million people visited during the January to October
period, an increase of +3.1%, or an additional 254,000 overseas
visitors, when compared with 2016. Overseas tourism is likely
to contribute over €4.9 billion to the Irish economy this year,
helping to sustain 225,000 jobs in communities around the
country. In Budget 2018, the Government continued to support
the tourism sector with a €2 million capital investment in digital
tourism marketing, increased funding for signature experience
brands such as the Lakelands Region and for Greenways, as
well as retaining the lower 9% VAT rate. The continued growth
of the sector over the last number of years is testament to the
great work being done all across the sector and today, I want to
congratulate Tourism Ireland on another very successful year.”
Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said: “Throughout 2017,
Tourism Ireland undertook a packed programme of promotions,
to bring Ireland to the attention of travellers everywhere. A major
focus of our activity was Ireland’s Ancient East, Dublin, the Wild
Atlantic Way and Northern Ireland; other important themes have
included screen tourism and, in particular, Game of Thrones.”
At the beginning of this month, Tourism Ireland launched its
marketing plans to promote Ireland in 2018, with a target to grow
overseas tourism revenue by +5%, to €6 billion for the economies
north and south, next year.
Skellig Michael Star Wars location
Commenting on the year ahead, Niall Gibbons said: “We are
heading into 2018 in a position of some strength, based on the
success of 2017. Over the coming weeks and months, Tourism
Ireland will once again leverage the huge global popularity of
Star Wars for Irish tourism. We will launch the first phase of our
new Star Wars campaign next week, targeting fans of the science
fiction franchise everywhere.
“In 2018, Tourism Ireland will create ‘stand out’ for the island of
Ireland around the world, highlighting iconic experiences like the
Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland’s Ancient East, Titanic Belfast and the
Causeway Coastal Route. We will also promote Dublin and Belfast,
in particular for shoulder and off-peak travel.”
Information sourced from Tourism Ireland. For more information
visit www.tourismireland.com
Titanic Museum Belfast
Wild Atlantic Way Sea Sessions
Tourism Minister Brendan Griffin and Niall Gibbons, CEO of
Tourism Ireland, at Tourism Ireland’s end-of-year review.
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