Tourism Ireland is targeting a full recovery of the British market in 2024 after forecasting visitor numbers for 2022 will reach between 70 and 75% of pre-pandemic levels.
Speaking at World Travel Market, the tourism body’s chief executive Niall Gibbons said he was “realistically optimistic” despite economic headwinds and indicated the British market could rebound ahead of a forecast overall “real-terms recovery” by 2025.
Gibbons said trade partners were “upbeat and buoyant” for 2023, with demand strong and Ireland perceived as a good value destination, particularly in shoulder seasons.
Tourism Ireland is due to move from a post-pandemic ‘restart’ phase to a ‘rebuild’ phase in 2023, Gibbons said, with a new consumer and trade campaign scheduled to launch around St Patrick’s Day in March.
“Looking back to January we were targeting a 60 to 65% recovery in 2022, and that is likely to be 75% by year-end,” he said. “When you take into account the impact of Omicron on the first quarter, that is effectively a nine-month figure which gives us a lot of cause for optimism.
“The US has been very strong but I would say the British market has also recovered to 70 to 75%.”
In addition to promoting travel during the shoulder seasons, Tourism Ireland will be focusing on areas including sustainability and regional tourism in its marketing efforts.
Gibbons hailed the “amazing renaissance” of tourism from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, highlighting that exchange rates “were not an issue” for the market.
The tourism body is due to launch a new three-year strategy early next year.
Photo: Northern Ireland’s The Dark Hedges, as featured in Game of Thrones. Aidan Monaghan