32,000 jobs lost in tourism as visitors down 3%

THE number of foreign tourists coming to Ireland fell by more than 3% to 7.5 million last year — the first reduction in overseas visitors since 2001.

An end-of-year statement published yesterday by Fáilte Ireland estimated that up to 32,000 full and part-time jobs have been lost in the industry over the past year as a consequence of the downturn in numbers.

The national tourism development authority said tourism revenue also declined by 2% to €6.3 billion, while the number of Irish people taking holidays at home was also down.