Tourism Ireland Sets Record Goal Of 8.2 Million Visitors In 2016
Tourism Ireland launched details last week of its marketing plans to promote Ireland overseas in 2016 and beyond, at an event attended by Tourism Minister Paschal Donohoe and tourism industry leaders from around the country.
The organisation aims to surpass this year's record performance in overseas tourism and to welcome 8.2 million visitors to Ireland in 2016. This figure will represent growth of more than 4% over 2015 and is set to deliver €4.4 billion to the Irish economy in next year.
To illustrate how much Irish tourism has bounced back since the downturn, a comparison of Ireland's Central Statistics Office figures for January to October 2015 versus the same period in 2010 shows superb growth in visitors from Britain ( up 20% in that five-year period), North America (51%), Mainland Europe (38%) and Australia and developing markets (66%).
Building on this year's success and sustaining growth into the future is at the heart of Tourism Ireland's strategy for 2016. Factors working in the country's favour include: new flights to Ireland, stronger economies in key source markets, the Ireland 'brand' (or image abroad) remains strong, as well as favourable exchange rates for sterling and the dollar.
Other positives include Tourism Ireland's strength in digital and social media (the organisation is the third most popular tourism board in the world on Facebook). The release of Star Wars Episode VII – which will feature Skellig Michael – also presents Tourism Ireland with a unique opportunity to highlight the South West and Ireland in 2016.
Speaking at the launch, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe TD, said: "I welcome the ambitious targets that are set out by Tourism Ireland in its marketing plans for 2016. I want to again acknowledge the excellent work that Tourism Ireland carries out overseas with such professionalism, as well as the vital role that our tourism industry plays in generating economic growth and employment opportunities. That is why we continue to invest in tourism marketing, and in supporting our tourism businesses to enhance their competitiveness. Our policies on the air travel tax and VAT have helped to improve the value on offer for our visitors".
"The overall tourism goal of Government is that by 2025, revenue from overseas visitors, excluding carrier receipts, will increase to €5 billion net of inflation. We aim to have 10 million visits to Ireland annually by 2025 and 250,000 people employed in the tourism sector, compared to 205,000 at present. In August I appointed a new Tourism Leadership Group, which will identify the specific actions required over the period 2016-2018 in order to achieve the longer-term goals in the Tourism Policy Statement. These actions will be contained in a Tourism Action Plan to be published early next year".
Ireland's strong commitment to building on record visitor numbers in 2016 is set to have a positive impact on the country's property market, with investors keen to snap up bargains ahead of the herd. With supply still outstripped by demand, high-value opportunities may become increasingly difficult to source and as the dollar remains the strongest currency in the world, US property investors could well dominate the arena.
