According to information from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the St Patrick’s Day celebrations in Dublin, along with other festivities throughout the Ireland, drew a substantial crowd last month, reinforcing visitor numbers. The figures suggest over half a million people set foot in Ireland, and nearly 50% of those were for holiday reasons.
According to the CSO, March saw a total of 521,800 individuals departing Ireland via international journeys. Approximately a third out of these were identified as overseas guests in Ireland. Moreover, 61% of these departures were Ireland inhabitants travelling internationally, while almost 8% were recognised as same-day trippers.
For those incoming to Ireland, over 38% were British, followed by 19.4% from the United States, and 6.5% from Germany. The CSO calculates that these visitors stayed for an average of six overnight stays totalling 3.1 million nights throughout March, signifying the start of the tourist season.
Visitors average expenditure, inclusive of the cost of their return trip and their stay and activities, amounted to around €1,070. The average flight cost was calculated at €271, lodging costs averaged €354, combined with approximately €420 spent on daily expenses. The total estimated expenses for the international guests during their Irish visits were around €558.6 million.
Around half of the tourists used hotel facilities, and the remaining visitors spread themselves among various accommodations such as self-catering rentals, B&Bs, hostels and private dwellings.
With Aviva’s comeback in the Irish health insurance market, it’s speculated to be “excellent news” for all consumers. There is also a debate on whether Ireland’s tourism pricing is fair.