Fine Gael TD for Dublin Fingal, Alan Farrell is delighted by the fact that CSO figures have shown that Irish tourism has gotten off to a strong start in 2015.
“Last year, Irish tourism had a great year and the strong performance we experienced in 2014 is set to continue in 2015. Figures from the Central Statistics Office have shown that, between November 2014 and January 2015, the number of overseas visits increased by 9.1% when compared with the three month period between November 2013 and January 2014. This will be welcome news for many businesses and communities throughout the North County. Clearly, this is great news for Dublin Airport, in its 75th year.
“Visitor numbers from Britain, North America and from mainland Europe all increased by 10% between November last year and this January while numbers from all other long haul areas rose by 1%. I am delighted that we are continuing to see growth in the tourism sector and this is testament to the Government’s policy of promoting the tourism sector as a catalyst of economic growth.
“The North County has many tourist attractions, pleasant scenery and inviting towns and villages which, I’m sure, will entice a greater number of visitors into our local area. With the presence of Dublin Airport in Dublin Fingal, the constituency is in a prime position from which to benefit greatly from any increase in the number of overseas visitors.
“Tourism is important in terms of supporting small businesses in our towns and villages and allowing for more jobs to be created in the hospitality sector throughout the North County. In fact, Fáilte Ireland have stated that the number of people employed, seasonally adjusted, in the accommodation and food sector nationally increased by 1,600. In 2015, Dublin Fingal should feel the positive impacts of an even more successful year for tourism in Ireland.”