North American visitors to Ireland up by 12.3%

There has been a significant rise in travelers from North America to Ireland, according to the latest figures from the Dublin-based Central Statistics Office.

Trips by residents of North America to Ireland increased by 12.3 percent between May and July to 713,600 when compared with the same period last year.

Visits from what the office calls the “Other Europe” – which excludes Britain -- were 5.4 percent higher at 1,075,500.

The American and European visitors offset a fall of 3.8 percent of British visitors to 978,700 between May and July.

Latest data for the quarter ended July 2017 -overseas trips up 4.4%. Britain -3.8%, Europe +5.4%, N. America +12.3%, Aus/Dev. Markets +17.1%
— Niall Gibbons (@NiallGibbons) August 29, 2017

During the three-month period the total number of trips to Ireland increased by 4.4 percent to 2,967,600, an overall increase of 124,200 when compared with the same period 12 months earlier.

The number of U.K. visits has been badly affected by the severe drop in the value of sterling against the euro, which made Ireland a much more expensive destination for British tourists.

The pound sterling devalued by almost 21.5 percent against the euro since before the Brexit vote in June 2016.

The euro also strengthened against the U.S. dollar in recent times, making Ireland also more expensive for American tourists despite the increase in their numbers.