Predicted rise in visitors set to create tourism jobs
Overseas tourist numbers jumped by 9% in 2014 to 7.3m, the highest since 2008. Those tourists spent just over €3.5bn in the country, also a 9% increase or almost €300m more than the previous year.
Ironically, the boost may partly be due to the many people leaving the country through emigration, as the numbers who categorised their trip as a visit to family and friends rather than a straightforward holiday grew by 14%.
Stay-at-home holidaymakers also contributed to the upswing, spending an estimated 6% more to put their value to the industry at €1.5bn, while visitors from the North were worth another €335m. In addition, Irish airlines and ferry operators earned a further €1bn in fares.
The trends have prompted the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation to make optimistic predictions for the year head, saying an additional 400,000 overseas visitors — a 6% increase on 2014 — should be achievable.
Paul Carty, managing director of the Guinness Storehouse, the country’s largest visitor attraction, and also chairman of the ITIC, said tourism had amply demonstrated its resilience after weathering several difficult years. “Tourism businesses currently are estimated to employ in excess of 200,000 with 5,000 having been added in the past year, and the prospect of a further 8,000 jobs being created in 2015,” said Mr Carty.
That view was echoed by ITIC chief executive Eamonn McKeon. “It’s hard to imagine a more favourable set of circumstances for tourism,” said Mr McKeon. “We have an improved economy in most source markets fuelling a strong demand for travel, increased capacity on air and sea services to Ireland, falling fuel prices, and a stronger US dollar and pound sterling, coupled with the good value for money to be had in Ireland.”
However, the organisation warned there were still significant challenges ahead, as while the number of visitors was almost back to the levels of the all-time record year in 2007, the spend per visitor was considerably lower.
It was notable that while the number of bed nights spent in the country increased by 3.5m, hotels only saw a 2% increase while bed nights in bed and breakfasts and guesthouses rose by 13%, in rented accommodation by 16%, and non-commercial bed nights with friends and relatives by 16%.
The ITIC said there had to be a renewed focus on keeping down costs. The Government’s decision to keep the Vat rate on tourism services at 9% and to suspend the air travel tax were important supports that needed to be maintained.
Mr McKeon also cautioned: “A continuing erosion of the level of marketing investment across the key markets which has occurred in recent years can only result in a loss of awareness in the market which leads to an inevitable decline in demand.”
Britain remains our most important market in terms of visitor numbers, with just over 3m travelling here in 2014, a 7% increase on the previous year, but spending per trip was down.
The US market was buoyant, with numbers up to more than a million for the first time and spending up by 14%.
That does not include the unmeasured Canadian market, also expected to show significant growth due to the introduction of year-round direct flights. Mainland Europe is our other major market, giving us around 2.5m visitors, including 1m from Germany and France, who fall most for Ireland’s charms
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