Irish visitors to New York city expected to surge 20% this year

IRISH shoppers are still hungry for the Big Apple, with trips to New York expected to surge 20% this year.

Tourism firm NYC & Company said Irish tour operators selling US breaks are reporting “buoyant sales” from Ireland to New York city.

Jersey Gardens, the largest shopping mall in New Jersey, which is located just outside New York, said visitor numbers are up 20% this year.

NYC & Company’s Irish representative, John Donoghue, said Tour America sent 15,000 Irish people to New York in 2009 and they are on target to increase this by 20% in 2010.

He said the feeling among the travel trade in Cork is that New York city is selling well for them in 2010. He also said the firm had a trade dinner in Dublin and there was a “similar buzz and very upbeat reception” for New York.

Last year, just over 300,000 Irish people visited New York, which was slightly down on the previous year.

“Irish people are feeling the economic squeeze right now and now more than ever they are looking for value for money. With the combination of amazing savings in the shops, a reasonable exchange rate against the dollar and our fondness for all things New York city, 2010 is shaping up to be a bumper year for travel from Ireland to the city,” said Mr Donoghue.

Marketing manager at Jersey Gardens, Crystal Fresco said the shopping centre is still very popular with Irish visitors.

Foreign shoppers account for 25% to 30% of the mall’s visitors, said Ms Fresco, with Irish people making up a large share of this.

“They pay for airfare, hotels and they’re still saving money,” she said. “They really stock up.”

“We see a lot of Irish tourists and year to date we are seeing 20% more than last year. We see thousands of Irish visitors each month,” she added.

One day earlier this year, the list of the countries represented by shoppers at the mall showed 62 were from Ireland, 59 from Israel, 40 from Germany, 30 from Brazil, seven from Portugal, four from Austria and two from Croatia.

Vice president of Tourism Development in New York, Diarmuid O’Sullivan said the city bucks the trend when it comes to holiday destinations.

He said more availability at hotels is making New York more affordable. He added that despite a dip in numbers last year, visitors from Ireland spent more than they did in previous years.

“Shopping is still the number one reason why Irish people come to New York,” he said.

He said excluding flights Irish people spent an average $1,500 (€1,217) per trip last year.

A spokeswoman for Aer Lingus said bookings on its autumn sale are exceeding expectations but the airline is still expecting Ireland to New York JFK passenger numbers to be slightly behind last year’s figures, reflecting a small dip in its capacity year on year.