Tourist shopping sprees worth €800m to retail sector on both sides of border

Shopping sprees by tourists are potentially worth €800m to the struggling retail sector both north and south of the border.

This was one of the main findings of the first ever report on building retail in Ireland on both sides of the border.

The report, by Retail Excellence Ireland (REI) and the Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association (NIIRTA), found the average international visitor to Dublin spends €606 in the city during their stay. This ranges from €224 for visitors on a day trip, up to €3,020 for those staying more than two weeks.