Almost 25% more North Americans visiting Ireland

In another great year for Irish tourism, trips by USA and Canada residents to Ireland have increased by almost 25%.

Newly released figures from the Central Statistics Office have revealed that there were 759,800 trips to Ireland completed in March 2018.

The figure is at a three-year high, and shows an overall increase of 39,800 trips compared to twelve months previous.  

March, along with the summer months, is typically the most popular type for overseas visitors arriving in Ireland - most of them keen to participate in the St. Patrick's Day festivities.

According to the research, compiled above, overseas residents with addresses in  the US and Canada made up over 158,000 of the visits to Ireland in March 2018.

This weekend, why not pack a picnic and go exploring the Wicklow Mountains? This vast area of unspoiled riches is home to many treasures such as Glendalough Valley, an ancient monastic site as well as the heart of Ireland's Ancient East – no really, Lough Ouler is a glistening lake in the shape of a perfect heart! What will you discover... #loveireland #ireland #irland #irlande #irlanda #discoverireland #instaireland #visitireland #irelandsancienteast #wicklow #wicklowmountains #glendalough #loughouler #hiddenireland #hiddentreasure #weekend #fridayfeeling

A post shared by Ireland (@tourismireland) on Apr 27, 2018 at 5:31am PDT

The jump in visits means an increase of 25% more Americans and Canadians visiting the country.

It seems more Irish people are packing their suitcases and hot-footing it abroad too, as trips made to overseas countries in the month of March also increased by 1%.

The CSO added that in the three months to the end of March 2018, the total number of trips to Ireland increased by 6.9% when compared with the same period in 2017. 

The total number of visitors to Ireland in 2017 totaled 9,932,100 people. Will 2018 see the country welcome over 10 million? We will keep you posted!