Value-for-money Ireland returning

The great majority of overseas holidaymakers would definitely recommend Ireland for a holiday to friends and family
Almost two in five said that they are planning on spending more on holidays this year compared with last year (well up on the pre-pandemic average of a quarter or so)

Our image as ‘rip-off Ireland’ is beginning to subside with the passing of the Celtic Tiger.

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29 April 2013

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Topline trends from Fáilte Ireland’s latest Visitor Attitudes Survey find that Ireland is now providing value-for-money to overseas visitors with tourist approvals at rates not seen for over a decade.

The survey, conducted among 1,578 overseas visitors here in 2012, found that Ireland now receives net positive rates across all key markets – even from the challenging British market.

Four out of 10 (41%) overseas visitors in 2012 rated Ireland as good to very good value-for-money with another four out of 10 (42%) rating us as fair in this regard.

Only 17% of visitors considered Ireland as poor or very poor value-for-money – three years previously (2009) this figure was 41%. 

Ireland’s overall net rating (when negative responses are subtracted from positives) as a value-for-money destination has improved at a significant rate from -11% in 2009 to +24% in 2012.

Welcoming the trend and reflecting on Irish tourism’s growing competitiveness, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Leo Varadkar pointed out, “This is great news in the year of The Gathering as value-for-money has never been more important.

“Fáilte Ireland estimates that 5,000 extra jobs were generated in the tourism and hospitality sector last year; regaining our reputation as a good value destination will help to sustain and hopefully grow the 185,000 jobs in industry.”

Other indications from the top-line survey results include:

•     The great majority of overseas holidaymakers would definitely recommend Ireland for a holiday to friends and family

•     For overseas visitors, our people and scenery remain our main competitive advantages compared to other destinations

•     Almost all holidaymakers said that their holiday either matched or exceeded their expectations with North Americans the most enthusiastic about their trips; more than half (53%) said that their Irish holiday exceeded their expectations

•     Most overseas holidaymakers say that the opportunity to engage with friendly hospitable people and enjoy beautiful scenery were important factors when considering Ireland for a holiday

•     The internet and word-of-mouth are the most frequently used sources of information which influence overseas holidaymakers’ choice to visit Ireland.

 

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