Sterling slump hits tourism in many counties

Tourism in the Republic has been hit by the Brexit slump in sterling which has reduced spending from the North and cut visitor numbers crossing the Irish Sea from Britain, an official survey suggests.

The survey by Fáilte Ireland shows that at least eight counties are not sharing in the general tourism boom which is being driven by large increases in North American visitors.

A separate report by researchers at think tank the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) highlighted the significance of angling tourism and in particular the contribution of British coarse anglers participating in Irish contests, because these tourists tend to spend more when they visit here.