26% surge in overseas coach tourist numbers

New research shows that coach tourist numbers reached their highest level in recent years in 2014, when 369,000 overseas visitors opted to use this mode of transport to see Ireland — an annual increase of 26%.

This represents a strong rebound for a sector which had seen business decline during the economic downturn. However, the coach tours business remains highly dependent on visitors from the US and Canada for such growth.

Although coach travellers accounted for just under 5% of the 7.6m foreign tourists who visited Ireland last year, they contributed an estimated €273m to the economy, representing an average spend of €740 per visitor during their stay.