CSO figures on travel to and from Ireland in 2007
- The CSO figures published last week on travel to Ireland, and on Irish travel abroad, during 2007 provide many points of interest.
- There were just over 8 million overseas visits to the Republic of Ireland, an increase of 4% on 2006, and a new record number. Within that figure however were 422,000 same-day visitors, so the actual number spending more than one day was 7.6 million, also up just over 4% on 2006.
- Continuing a trend of recent years however the average length of stay dropped 4% to 7.3 nights, down from 7.6 nights in 2006.
- By area, there was mixed news, with a drop of 1% in visitor numbers from our largest market the UK at just over 4 million visitors. Continental Europe powered ahead again by 13.5% to 2.6 million. The US and Canada also reached record numbers, up 2% to almost 1.1 million visitors. Visitor numbers from other areas remained static.
- The reason they came is interesting:
- 15%, or 1.2 million came for business purposes
- 28%, or 2.2 million came to visit friends and relatives (VFR)
- 50%, or just over 4 million came for holiday, leisure or recreational activities (HLR)
- The remaining 7%, over half a million, had some other purpose in mind. You’d wonder what! - There was year on year growth of 10% in business travel, 7% in the HLR sector, while the VFR sector actually declined by over 3%. Over a 5 year period, from 2003, business travel has grown by 42%, VFR by 29% and the HLR sector by a more modest 21%.
- On the revenue side in 2007 it reached €4.9 billion, up 4.5% on the previous year. (This figure by the way includes fares paid to Irish carriers). Basically the increase in visitor numbers drove the revenue growth, as the average spend per visitor in current terms was unchanged from 2006.
While there was a small growth in average spend by British visitors it did not match inflation. There was a significant decline in the average visitor spend by Europeans (-9%), which can be largely attributed to a shortening length of stay, down from 11.2 nights to 9.6 nights.
Overall revenue from North Americans was just ahead of 2006 reflecting the slight growth in visitor numbers. Perhaps surprisingly, given the weakness of the dollar, there was only a small drop in their trip and daily spend.
- Where our overseas visitors stayed is interesting, with hotels continuing to gain share while there was a drop in nights spent in B&B’s and with friends or relatives.
- When it comes to travelling its hard to beat the Irish though. While overseas visitor spending in Ireland has grown by €1 billion over the past 5 years, spending by the Irish travelling abroad increased by that amount in 2007 alone. It has increased by €2 billion over the past 5 years.
- The domestic market is vital to the tourism industry, particularly to the carriers who have a growing dependence on Irish business. Last year over half (53%) of Irish carrier receipts came from the outbound market, whereas just 6 years ago the outbound share was less than 40%. Receipts accruing to Irish carriers last year from overseas visitors while well up, are less than they were in 2001, perhaps reflecting the low fares regime.
- Much food for thought there, what with oil approaching $130 a barrel, and Goldman Sachs predicting the possibility of it reaching $200. Were that to happen and be sustained, then low air fares as we knew them would be a thing of the past. That would not be good news and would present an entirely new set of challenges.
Irish Tourist Industry Confederation