General Industry

Tourism Numbers Up Across the Board in 2014

By Publications Checkout
Tourism Numbers Up Across the Board in 2014

Figures released by the CSO show that more people visited in Ireland in Q4 of 2014 compared to the previous year, spending more money and staying more nights.

The CSO tourism and travel statistics made for encouraging reading for people in the tourism and hospitality sector in Ireland, as 2014 finished strong after a successful spring and summer.

Total expenditure, including air fares, increased by 9.9 per cent compared to the same timeframe last year, jumping from €862 to €947.

Some 1.69 million people spent 11.15 million nights in Ireland over the last three months of the year, an increase from 1.58 million and 10.74 million, respectively.

The release of the Q4 statistics give the full picture of the tourism industry in 2014, which celebrated one of its best in several years.

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In total, 7.6 million people visited the country in the year, a nine per cent increase compared to 2013.

As well as this, the amount of nights spent in Ireland by overseas visitors showed a marked improvement - an eight per cent rise to just under 55 million.

The CSO statistics also show that the number of Irish people travelling out of the country increased in 2014. A total of 6.5 million trips were made overseas by Irish residents, an increase of three per cent.