After some pretty lean years, it seems as if foreign tourists are visiting Ireland in their droves yet again.
Well, droves might be a little bit of an exaggeration, but the number of overseas visitors to this country did increase by 7% in 2011, the first increase in four years.
According to the end of year review by the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation (ITIC), there was a 10% increase in visitors from the continent and an 8% rise in the number of people coming from America, which hopefully would have lead to a roaring trade for the manufacturers of Aran jumpers in 2011.
In what is a major boost for the tourism industry in Ireland, the ITIC also announced that there were 6,000 jobs added to the tourism sector after seasonal adjustments over the last six months.
The increase in the number of visitors was partly explained by the increased demand for coach tours, particularly from the US, while Ireland obviously proved an attractive destination for the wealthier tourists, with the ITIC revealing that 87 cruise liners arrived at Dublin Port this year alone.
The ITIC did stress that we shouldn’t get carried away with the news, however, as the number of visitors to the country were still a far cry from the peak 2007 levels.
But at least we’re getting there. After all, with a busted economy, vastly inflated prices and miserable climate, what’s not to love?
