February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
And in sufficient numbers to brighten up the tourist statistics for Ireland in what has been mostly a disappointing year.
Overall, the number of overseas visitors to the island in August showed a decline of 123,200 compared to the same month in 2008, this according to the latest figures from the Irish government’s Central Statistics Office.
In raw numbers, the total for the month was 823,100 compared to 946,300 a year previously. That’s a decline of 13 percent.
The biggest portion of the decline was as a result of a fall in visitor numbers from Britain. The drop off from Europe was a good deal smaller.
By contrast, the number of visitors from North America rose in August.
The increase was from 118,200 in 2008 to 126,600, a rise of close to seven percent.
The increase took a fair bit of the sting from an overall decline in visitors to Ireland from North America for the year up to the end of August. The drop, when compared to the same eight month period in 2008, was a relatively small 2.7 percent.
The positive figures for August were hailed by Tourism Ireland’s chief in North America, Joe Byrne.
Byrne described the August tally as “an extraordinary performance in the current environment.”
Byrne, who was speaking at the recent inaugural meeting of the Irish American Leadership Council in New York, said that Ireland was currently the sixth most popular destination for Americans who traveled overseas for vacations.
And this was against a backdrop of 150 national tourist agencies operating in the U.S.
Tourism Ireland promotes and markets the entire island of Ireland.