Tourist numbers up 7% but sector still ‘fragile’

The number of tourists visiting Ireland was up 7% last year, but the recovery follows the disastrous 2010 figures when the Icelandic ash cloud wiped out tourism revenue.

Speaking at the Irish Hotels Federation’s 74th annual conference, chief executive Tim Fenn said Irish tourism remains in a fragile state.

Hotels and guesthouses are struggling to cope with a two-speed recovery in the sector, and improvements in occupancy levels across Dublin, the West and South-West masked disappointing figures throughout the rest of the country, he said.