Gathering Gets Off To A Good Start With A Boost To Visitor Numbers

Overseas visitor numbers finished strongly in 2012 and have got off to a positive start in 2013 with a 4.4% increase in visitors from all areas of the world between November and January.

Minister for Transport, Transport and Sport Leo Varadkar welcomed this boost for Irish tourism the end of 2012 and the start of the Gathering year.

"I am very pleased to see such a positive start to The Gathering, with the positive performance at the end of last year continuing into 2013," he said.

"There was particularly strong growth from North America and other long-haul markets between November and January, and continued growth from Mainland Europe.

"These figures also confirm that visitor numbers from Britain have stabilized, which should provide a solid foundation for renewed growth in this market.

"The tourism agencies are already rolling out the recommendations of the Tourism Recovery Taskforce which is designed to restore visitor numbers from Britain."

Comparing the three-month period from November 2012 to January 2013 with the same period in the previous year:

• Overall trips to Ireland were up by 4.4%;
• The number of visitors from North America was up by 12.2%;
• Visits from Mainland Europe were up by 5.2%, with Scandinavia (+26%), Italy (+11.8%) and Spain (+5.6%) performing particularly well;
• Visits from the rest of the world increased by 16.1%, with Australia and New Zealand growing by 30.4%;
• Great Britain registered an increase of 0.6% in visits.

"The Gathering has got off to a robust start and the upcoming St Patrick's Festival will give us an opportunity to make further tourism gains," the Minister continued.

"We are promoting the St Patrick's Festival in all our key markets, including the international 'greening' of famous landmarks and iconic sites around the world.

"I am confident we can build on this momentum during the year."

Minister of State for Tourism and Sport Michael Ring added that, "Following a successful start to The Gathering at the New Year's Eve Festival in Dublin, we expect a strong influx of visitors for our exciting programme of Gatherings taking place across the country, throughout the year.

"With St Patrick's Week coming soon, Fáilte Ireland and The Gathering Ireland team are working harder than ever with local partners to deliver our greatest ever national celebration'.