It’s hard to miss Ireland if one makes a list of top five most sought after tourist destinations in the world. The picturesque scenery, coastal villages, grassy fields, calm beaches and plethora of wildlife have made Ireland a must go place for all tourists.
No wonder tourism is one of the main pillars of Ireland’s economy. In 2011 alone, more than 6.2 million people traveled to this beautiful country. A recent finding shows an increase in visitors by 11 per cent for the time period of December 2013 to February 2014.
The report throws the spotlight on some key findings; over the said time period, more than 79400 people visited Ireland from the neighboring Great Britain which is 14% more than the previous year. Visitors spent total of 51 million nights in Ireland in 2013 which implies a 6.2% increase from the previous year.
The economy got a boost from rising number of visitors from abroad. In 2013, the amount of money from overseas visitors was €4.127 billion which was €0.356 billion more than the money generated in the previous year. Total earning from foreign visitors had a year to year surge of 3.7% from previous year’s €806 million.
The CEO of Tourism Ireland Niall Gibbons said, “Today’s figures represent a very positive start to 2014, as we roll out our promotional programme around the world.”
He didn’t forget to mention the role of Global Greening initiative in giving tourism in Ireland a push. He said, “This year, we will place a major focus on promoting the Wild Atlantic Way, the Causeway Coastal Route, as well as on major events like Limerick City of Culture, the Grande Partenza of the Giro d’Italia and the Croke Park Classic, when the University of Central Florida takes on Penn State in their college football season opener.”
Tourism Ireland is not content with all these stats and figures. It is taking taking new initiatives to strengthen the country’s tourism further. One of such initiatives is the launch of the GB trade website to help travel agents to promote Ireland to potential visitors.
Visitors could make a checklist of what to see and where to go before coming to Ireland. The website would contain detailed information on Dublin, Belfast, Limerick and other cities.