Alan Farrell
Question:66. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to report on tourism figures for summer 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45083/23]
View answerThursday, 19 October 2023
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The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has published inbound tourism statistics for June and July 2023 and these can be accessed on the CSO website Inbound Tourism - CSO - Central Statistics Office. These are the first releases in a new monthly statistical series on inbound tourism to Ireland.
This series replaces the former Overseas Travel series and the Tourism and Travel series of the pre-COVID era. The Inbound Tourism series is compiled using a different sampling methodology and a different mode of data collection. The CSO advises that the inbound tourism series should be seen as a new and different statistical series, rather than a continuation or update of the Overseas Travel series and the Tourism and Travel series.
The first release of the new series provided data for the second quarter in 2023. The CSO reports close to 1.7 million tourists taking overnight trips to Ireland between April and June 2023. These inbound tourists stayed 12.7 million nights in Ireland spending close to €2 billion.
The CSO reported a further 650,200 tourists took overnight trips to Ireland during July 2023. These inbound tourists stayed 5,643,800 nights in the country spending €875.4 million during that month.
Fáilte Ireland’s tourism barometer strategic research and insight findings from September this year also indicate a better year in terms of visitor levels with demand buoyant and the majority of businesses expecting more overseas visitors when compared to 2022.
Looking ahead, Tourism Ireland will roll out an extensive, highly targeted programme of promotions around the world over the coming months. It will highlight the many reasons to visit the island of Ireland during autumn and winter – including festivals like Púca, Derry Halloween, Wexford Festival Opera and New Year’s Festival Dublin. The autumn "Fill your heart with Ireland" campaign will get underway in key overseas markets, celebrating the different ways in which Ireland fills the hearts of our visitors and of locals and inviting potential overseas holidaymakers to come and experience those for themselves.