Visitors And Their Expenditure Decreased By Over 11% In 2009

There were 6,927,000 overseas visits to Ireland in the year 2009, compared with 7,839,000 in 2008, a decrease of 11.6%.

The number of overseas visits to Ireland dropped on all routes in 2009.

Trips on air cross-channel routes decreased by 15.6% in 2009 while expenditure decreased by 21.5%.

Business trips decreased by 20.5% while spending decreased by over 25%. Holiday, leisure andrecreation expenditure and trips decreased by 26% and 18% respectively.

The number of overseas visits by Irish residents fell by 10.5% to 7,047,000 in 2009 compared to 7,877,000 in 2008.

Expenditure on trips taken on the sea cross-channel route to the United Kingdom increased by 10.2% while expenditure fell on all other routes.

The expenditure figures for the year 2009 show a net outflow of €2,270 million.

Earnings from Visits to Ireland accounted for €3,879 million, while expenditure by Irish Visitors Abroad amounted to €6,148 million.

The Tourism figures in the latest release also show that nights spent in Ireland decreased in 2009, with 11.7% fewer nights spent than in 2008.

Hotel bednights decreased by 19.7% while guest houses and B&Bs nights fell by 20.6%.

Increases were seen in nights spent staying with friends and relatives and also in caravan and camping.

The average length of stay of overseas visits to Ireland during 2009 was 8.1 nights. This compares with an average of 9.1 nights for overseas visits by Irish Residents.