Ireland has seen its best ever January to September period for overseas visitors, with almost 7.5 million arrivals.

The latest figures represent an increase of 12% – almost 800,000 additional overseas visitors – when compared with the first nine months of 2015.

Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said: “It is clear that 2016 will be another record-breaking year for Irish tourism. We have seen exceptional results from North America for January to September – up 15.4% on the same nine month period in 2015. Mainland Europe has also turned in another excellent performance (+10.6%), with important markets like Italy, Spain, France and Benelux all recording really good growth.

Tourism Ireland is the organisation responsible for promoting the island of Ireland overseas as a leading holiday destination. Tourism is Ireland’s largest indigenous industry, responsible for over 4% of GNP and employing approximately 220,000 people.

“We are determined to ensure that growth continues,” added Niall Gibbons. “Our ‘Jump into Ireland’ travel trade and media blitz to the west coast of the United States will help to keep this momentum going and deliver further success in 2017 and beyond.” 
 
Janet Redler, Chief Executive of Janet Redler Travel & Tourism, said: “It is great to hear that overseas visits to Ireland have reached record levels and this is no surprise to us, as Ireland is one of our most popular destinations. With its spectacular scenery, fascinating history and warm welcome, time and again our clients tell us how much they enjoy this wonderful country.”

If you or your group would like to enjoy a tailor made tour of Ireland, please do contact our friendly team.