Ireland bucks tourism downturn

IRELAND has bucked the trend by recording a 5% rise in the number of tourists visiting the country in the first half of this year, despite the war on Iraq and the SARS outbreak.

In what the industry describes as a ‘surprising turnaround’ from a poor tourist season last year, American visitors have returned and the percentage of British visitors is up by 10% in the South and 17% in the North.

Tourism Ireland expects visitor numbers to grow by 4% overall this year to €7.4 million. The marketing campaigns of the North-South body, Tourism Ireland, and competitive flight prices, have been credited for the upturn in American visitors.

For British tourists, the continued strength of sterling makes the South an attractive destination while the North continues to benefit from the ‘peace dividend’.

“We’re delighted at the increase of visitors from Britain into the whole of Ireland,” said Tourism Ireland spokesman, John Greene.

The popularity of short breaks, encouraged by Fáilte Ireland’s advertising campaigns, has increased the size of the domestic tourist market. However, the increases in visitors numbers have come at a price. Operators have been forced to drop accommodation prices to attract tourists, who are now taking shorter breaks and spending less. The Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) said certain sectors had also suffered from a lack of early season visitors, such as the coach tour business and the car hire firms.

“We still have a long way to go but the situation has certainly improved,” said chief executive, Brendan Leahy.