Visitor numbers plummet in May

The number of overseas visitors coming to Ireland fell sharply in May, according to figures released today by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), with the number of British visitors dramatically tumbling.

Overseas visits to Ireland fell by 18.4% to 657,500 in May 2009 compared to the same month in 2008, the CSO said.

The number of visitors from Britain was down 22.8% to 306,400, while European visitors were 219,300, or 20%, less.

Irish residents were themselves also staying at home, the figures revealed, with Irish people making just over 610,000 overseas trips in May 2009, almost 10% less than in May 2008.

In the first five months of 2009, overseas trips, at 2,729,400, were 10.4% less than in the same period in 2008. Visits from abroad fell by 9.6% to 2,667,500

Transport and tourism industry figures called for government action to tackle visitor decline.

Ryanair again criticised the Government's introduction of a €10 travel tax, warning that unless it is scrapped, the fall in inward tourism will worsen.

Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said the drop in inward passenger numbers confirmed that "the collapse in Irish tourism" was accelerating

"(The) Government’s €10 visitor tax makes Ireland an uncompetitive tourist market," McNamara said.

"The Irish Government cannot grow inward tourism by taxing it and must scrap their €10 tourist tax."

Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) president Matthew Ryan said: “The dramatic decline recorded in overseas visitors lays bare the decimated state of our tourism industry this year."

"These figures compel the Government and the tourism agencies to take immediate, radical and creative action to reverse this downward trend."

The IHF said promotion initiatives that send positive messages internationally to attract overseas visits here are now urgently needed.

The body also suggested offering free travel on public transport to all UK residents aged 66 and over in a bid to attract them to the country.

Meanwhile The Irish Tourist Industry Confederation (ITIC) said that despite the fall in overseas visitors, it was expecting the domestic tourism market to hold its own.

The body said there was some evidence that attractive offers being made available by the industry are receiving a favourable consumer response.