Spending by British tourists visiting Ireland rose by 18 per cent in the first three months of 2016 compared to the same period last year, according to the latest Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures.
The latest travel data shows that increasing numbers of European and non-EU tourists continue to visit Ireland, with spending on the rise among all nationalities.
Tourists visiting Ireland from Great Britain spent €33 million more between January and March 2016 than during the same period in 2015, marking a rise of 18.2 per cent.
British tourists spent €214 million in the first three months of this year compared to €181 million during the same period last year. Visitors from Great Britain spent a total of €971 million last year.
Spending by tourists from France, Germany, Italy, the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand also rose between January and March of this year, with North Americans spending €144 million, a rise of of €19 million on the same period last year.
The overall number of overseas trips to Ireland by non-residents rose by more than 15 per cent, with 1,785 million trips in the first three months of the year, up 254 million on last year.
Earnings
The duration of visitors’ stay in Ireland remained the same as last year, with people opting to spend an average of 6.5 nights.
Ireland’s total tourism and travel earnings during the first three months of 2016 rose by 18.7 per cent on the same period last year, increasing from €780 million to €926 million.
Meanwhile, the number of Irish people travelling overseas increased by 13.1 per cent from 1.306 million between January and March 2015 to 1.478 million during the first three months of this year. The CSO figures also reveal Irish people are spending more nights abroad than last year.
2015 marked a record-breaking year for tourism with 8.6 million trips made to Ireland.
The latest travel data follows news earlier this week that Dublin is facing a shortage in visitor accommodation options over the next two years, limiting the potential for tourism growth in the longer term.
A report commissioned by Fáilte Ireland found that while additional bedrooms are due to be created for visitors, most will not be available until after 2018 or later.
The report also warned that most of the new accommodation stock was not guaranteed and said the capital was facing “a capacity challenge” over the next two years.
Between 2010 and 2015, the number of tourists visiting Dublin rose by 33 per cent while the availability of accommodation fell by 6 per cent, according to Fáilte Ireland.
