“Hottest” is not meant literally in this case, of course.
Ireland is at number six on a list of the “hottest” destinations to visit in summer 2016 in a recent survey by Virtuoso, an international network of luxury travel agencies.
Virtuoso sourced the data from its United States and Canadian-based travel agency members – whose turnover is $35 billion – reflecting the most popular destinations for summer vacations based on future bookings for June, July and August of this year.
Italy topped the list, followed by the United Kingdom, France, Spain, the Netherlands and Ireland, with Germany, South Africa, Greece and Israel also featuring in the top ten.
Virtuoso “hottest” destinations to visit in summer 2016
- Italy
- United kingdom
- France
- Spain
- Netherlands
- Ireland
- Germany
- South Africa
- Greece
- Israel
The Virtuoso survey also revealed that Ireland is third on a ‘Hot List’ of countries that have seen the largest percentage of growth in year-over-year bookings.
Bookings to Ireland have increased by 58% in the last year, with tourists flocking to Dublin and Galway in particular.
Virtuoso ‘Hot List’
- Tanzania (+98%)
- Portugal (+88%)
- Ireland (+58%)
- Brazil (+53%)
- Mexico (+48%)
- Russia (+44%)
- Netherlands (+38%)
- Jamaica (+28%)
- Sweden (+23%)
- Poland (+18%)
Commenting on Ireland’s strong showing in the Virtuoso survey, Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s Head of North America, said: “Virtuoso is one of the travel industry’s leading luxury networks, so the inclusion of Ireland at number six in this list is good news indeed.
“It’s another well-deserved accolade, which provides Tourism Ireland with a great hook to continue to promote the island of Ireland as a ‘must visit’ destination for American and Canadian travellers.
“2015 was another record-breaking year for Irish tourism from the United States and Canada; and the outlook for this year is also positive, with the most recent CSO figures for Q1 showing growth of +24.5% in visitors from North America.
“We are undertaking an extensive programme of promotions throughout 2016, to keep the momentum going and build on that growth.”
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ podcast – listen to the latest episode now!
