Irish tourism could be badly hit by Brexit, survey shows

Research commissioned by Tourism Ireland predicts the hospitality sector will struggle to maintain revenue and visitor numbers from Britain this year as a result of Brexit.

The Red C research showed Britons who are considering an overseas holiday this year are generally planning to spend less and stay for shorter lengths of time.

Of those Britons who will consider an overseas break, 50 per cent said they would spend less while on holiday; 37 per cent said they would reduce their overall holiday budget; 26 percent said they would change their accommodation and one quarter said they would reduce the length of their stay.

Tourism Ireland said about 40 per cent of all visitors to the island in 2016 were from Britain meaning Ireland is “likely to be more impacted than any other destination”.

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The research also showed many British tourists perceived Britain as a more attractive place to holiday in part due to exchange rates, a factor which has increased competition from tourist boards in Scotland, Wales, Devon and Cornwall.

Fluctuations

In addition, Oxford Economics, which evaluated the Red C research, said fluctuations in currency meant travellers from some of Ireland’s most important other markets – the USA, Germany, France, India and China – “are more likely to choose Britain over Ireland for a holiday in 2017”.

Niall Gibbons, chief executive of Tourism Ireland, said competitiveness and value for money would be key to securing bookings from Britain this year.

He said any business in the Republic which wanted to attract holidaymakers from Britain should be aware that the value of sterling had fallen by up to 20 percent since last season’s bookings were made.

Tourism Ireland commissioned RedC to conduct research among 2,000 British consumers last week to assess their propensity to travel overseas in a post-Brexit world.