Record Numbers of Irish Visitors

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Irish Voice News

Record Numbers of Irish Visitors

May 15, 2008

By Cahir O’Doherty

RECORD numbers of Irish are visiting the U.S. Lured by the tumbling dollar and steep markdowns in goods and services, no less than 491,000 Irish tourists visited in 2007, many for the first time, according to figures compiled by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in Dublin.

The CSO estimates that Irish tourists spent over $686,000 million in North America last year. The whopping expenditure also includes Canada, but the vast majority of Irish tourists made their trips to the U.S. — and in particular New York — the CSO says.

With the current population of the Irish Republic hovering at 4,239,848, the latest tourists figures indicate that over one in every 10 Irish people visited America last year. The reason for the recent uptick in Irish travel is also clear. The dollar has shed about 25% of its value on international markets since 2002 and the Irish are taking full advantage of the situation.

North America is now Ireland’s third largest travel market, behind the U.K. and Europe. While sticker shock startles many American tourists visiting Europe this year, for the Irish the prices of good and services here in the U.S. – particularly with regard to electronics and clothing – represent the ultimate cash and carry.

“Last year was a record year for Irish travelers coming to the U.S. and that has been increasing steadily every year,” Richard Champley, senior analyst at the U.S.-based Office of Travel and Tourism Industries told the Irish Voice.

“As far as where they going when they arrive in the U.S. we don’t have hard facts about that yet, but speculation that the majority visit New York appears to be true. In parallel with the greater numbers of Irish arriving here there has also been an increase in Aer Lingus flights and routes to the U.S.”

Although stricter immigration policies have made the experience of arriving in the U.S. something that can approach an ordeal, most Irish tourists are still unfazed. Overseas trips from Ireland on trans-Atlantic routes grew by 23% percent in 2007. Irish visits for reasons of holiday leisure and recreation accounted for 65% of all trans-Atlantic trips taken here.

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