Downward Trend In Travel Continues In July

The downward trend of the past number of months in terms of travel to and from Ireland continued in July 2009.

Trips abroad by Irish residents were down 11.3% to 759,800 compared to July 2008 while overseas visits to Ireland fell by 9.1% to 759,600.

The overall trend in the number of visits to Ireland is reflected in the state of the markets.

Visits by residents of Great Britain were down almost 8% to 314,800 in July 2009 compared to July 2008.

Visitor numbers from other European countries were down 11.2% to 276,800 and the number of travellers from North America, at 130,100, was down by 5.1%.

Finally, visits by residents from other areas of the world fell by 15.6% to 37,900.

Irish trips abroad for the year to July 2009, at almost 4,200,000, were 10.1% less than the same period in 2008.

Similarly, visits to Ireland were down 10.4% to just under 4,100,000.