Britain’s decision to leave the European Union is going to have a significant impact on Irish tourism, according to new research from the Emerald Isle’s tourism body.
The research, carried out by RedC on behalf of Tourism Ireland, looked at the impact of Brexit on tourism to Ireland in 2017 and beyond, with the results suggesting that Britons travelling overseas for a holiday will spend significantly less.
According to the research, 50 per cent of the 2,000 people surveyed said they would spend less on holiday, with 37 per cent reducing their holiday budget. As a result of this, 26 per cent will change their accommodation type, while 25 per cent will reduce the length of their stay.
The survey also said that 18 per cent of respondents will be influenced by the Brexit vote when choosing a holiday destination next year and 17 per cent will postpone taking a trip outside of the UK for the foreseeable future.
With approximately 65 million overseas trips taken by Britons each year, Oxford Economics has estimated that outbound travel from the UK to the rest of the world will decline by 2.5 per cent – roughly 1.5 million fewer trips.
For Ireland, around 40 per cent of overseas visitors come from the UK, meaning Irish tourism is likely to be hit harder than any other destination, according to Tourism Ireland. To counter this, the body is planning to further implement its 2014 market diversification strategy; maximising holiday revenue through investment in Europe and North America.
To retain its core UK market, Tourism Ireland will have an extensive, year-long programme focusing on its ‘culturally curious’ audience, “who are less impacted by currency fluctuations”. The body will also undertake an expanded partnership programme with airlines, ferry operators and tour operators, promoting a strong price-led message to drive home value for money.
“Since the EU referendum, Tourism Ireland has been monitoring developments closely, to better understand and plan for the implications of Brexit,” said Tourism Ireland CEO Niall Gibbons.
“The depreciation of the pound against the euro since the UK referendum on Brexit means that value for money will be a key message for us in Britain this year.
“The adverse impact of Brexit can be mitigated through a combination of aggressive overseas marketing and the continuation of existing successful wider policy initiatives.”
2016 was a record year for inbound tourism for Ireland, with visitor numbers 11 per cent higher than 2015 as 10.5 million visitors explored the country, contributing more than €5.4bn (US$5.8bn, £4.6bn) in revenue to the economy. In that period, Ireland welcomed 4.9 million British visitors, worth €1.5bn (US$1.6bn, £1.3bn) to the country’s economy.
