Murphy welcomes growth in tourism from the south

Economy Minister Conor Murphy has welcomed the publication of the latest visitor statistics from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

Pictured L-R: Economy Minister Conor Murphy; Mick Doyle, Managing Director, Killeavy Castle; and David Roberts, Director of Strategic Development, Tourism NI.

They show a very strong performance on trips, nights and spend by Republic of Ireland residents in Northern Ireland in the first nine months of 2023.

The CSO’s Household Travel Survey shows that between January and September last year 1.1 million overnight trips were taken by Republic of Ireland residents in Northern Ireland, which is higher than the full year performance for 2022. Spend rose to £221 million and the number of nights spent in Northern Ireland rose to 2.5 million.

Minister Murphy said:

“It is hugely encouraging that more people from the south of Ireland are travelling to the north to holiday. Just nine months into 2023 we have already surpassed the figures for the whole of 2022. Separate research carried out by Tourism NI has also confirmed this trend. Tourism is a flourishing part of the all-Ireland economy, and it is important to build upon this success."

Notes to editors: 

1. Photo Caption: During a visit to Killeavy Castle, Economy Minister Conor Murphy welcomed the growth in tourism from the south. Pictured L-R: Economy Minister Conor Murphy; Mick Doyle, Managing Director, Killeavy Castle; and David Roberts, Director of Strategic Development, Tourism NI.
    
2. Research by Tourism NI also shows eight in ten tourism businesses reported their southern visitor volumes either matched or exceeded January to September 2022 levels. This research also shows that visitors from the south continue to regard the north as offering good value for money, with shopping and public transport considered particularly good value.
    
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