Statistics published by the Central Statistics Office show that in the five-year period between 2011 and 2016, the number of overseas visits to Ireland increased by 47.3%. This increase can be broken down further as follows:
- 36.3% increase in visits from Great Britain;
- 44.6% increase in visits from Mainland Europe;
- 83.2% increase in visits from North America;
- 54.2% increase in visits from Other areas.
The Government's Tourism Policy Statement, "People, Place and Policy – Growing Tourism to 2025", was launched in March 2015. The main targets contained in the Tourism Policy Statement, to be achieved by 2025, are as follows:
- Overseas tourism revenue to increase to €5 billion net of inflation, compared to €3.5 billion in 2014;
- Overseas visits to Ireland to increase to ten million, compared to 7.6 million in 2014; and
- 250,000 people to be employed in the tourism sector.