Trips abroad to visit relatives and friends down 13%

THE number of overseas visits by Irish people fell in the last quarter of last year, with an even steeper fall in the number of visits to friends and relatives.

The overall number of visits dropped 6% in the last three months of last year compared with the same period in 2007, but the number of overseas visits to relatives and friends fell 13% — a marked decline at a time that includes the busy Christmas period.

In the opposite direction, holiday visits to Ireland dropped 11% in the last quarter of last year compared with the same period in 2007, while the number of nights spent in hotels by overseas visitors here decreased 18% in the same period.