Domestic holiday trips rose by 10 per cent in the second quarter of 2004 but nights spent in B&Bs and guesthouses dropped by 9.4 per cent, according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office. Joe Humphreys reports.
There were 723,000 domestic holiday trips between last April and June compared to 657,000 in the same period in 2003.
The figures confirm an upward trend in domestic tourism since 2002, when the market slumped in the wake of the foot-and-mouth epidemic and heightened global security fears.
The increase in domestic trips, however, has benefited some sectors more than others.
Although the total number of bed nights spent on domestic trips grew by 2.2 per cent, there were 9.4 per cent fewer bed nights spent in B&Bs and guesthouses, and 16 per cent fewer in self-catering and rented houses.
Nights spent in hotels and conference centres grew by 2.1 per cent and in private holiday homes by 54.6 per cent.
The number of domestic business trips grew by 20 per cent in the second quarter of the year but the number of domestic visits to friends or relatives dropped by 5 per cent.
The south-west remains by far the most popular location for domestic travel. Some 343,000 Irish residents visited the region between April and June 2004, an increase of 6.5 per cent on the same period last year.
In contrast, visitor numbers fell in the mid-east, mid-west, midlands and west.
The figures come as a boost to Cork Kerry Tourism, which this week began a new domestic advertising campaign to coincide with the upcoming mid-term break in schools.
Estimated expenditure on domestic trips rose by 16.9 per cent to €234.6 million in the second quarter of the year. The rate of increase for business trips was much higher, at 40 per cent.
Mr Shaun Quinn, chief executive of Fáilte Ireland, described the figures as "very encouraging" in light of the fact that the domestic market was "the single most important market in the tourism sector".
"There are regional variations but these are much more pronounced with overseas tourism. The trend internationally is towards shorter, more frequent breaks and that favours urban, city areas."
He added that hotels were outperforming other accommodation providers in part due to increased capacity. "It has been a difficult environment for traditional B&Bs and guesthouses, particularly in rural areas."
Fáilte Ireland is spending €3.5 million on marketing domestic holidays this year, an increase of 20 per cent on 2003.
A related set of CSO figures showed that international trips by Irish residents also grew in the second quarter of 2004 - by 7.1 per cent to 1.4 million. Some 70 per cent of these trips were holidays, with the UK, Spain and France the most popular destinations. Irish residents spent almost six times as much on international holidays as on domestic holidays during the quarter. This compares to just four times as much in 2000.