Terry Brennan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the positive result for Irish tourism at the end of last year and for the start of this year of The Gathering.

Overseas visitor numbers finished strongly in 2012 and got off to a good start in 2013, with a 4.4% increase from all markets between November 2012 and the end of January. I am pleased to see such a very successful start to The Gathering, with the increased performance at the end of last year continuing into this year. There was particularly strong growth from the North American and other long haul markets between November and January. There was also continued growth from the mainland Europe market. The figures confirm that visitor numbers from Great Britain have stabilised, which should provide a solid foundation for renewed growth in the market. There is great room to improve the number of visitors from our nearest neighbour. Comparing the three month period from November 2012 to January 2013 with the period November 2011 to January 2012, the overall number of trips to Ireland was up 4.4%. The number of visits from North America was up 12.2%, while the number from mainland Europe was up by 5.2%, with the figure for Scandinavia increasing by a significant amount, 26%. The figure for Italy was up by 11.8% and for Spain by 5.6%. The number of visitors from the rest of the world increased by 16.1%, with the figures for Australia and New Zealand growing by over 30%. Like Senator Feargal Quinn, I believe there are tourism opportunities in terms of attracting visitors from China, Japan and the Far East. The figure for Great Britain registered an increase of 0.6%, which means there is room for an increase in visitor numbers from there. I look forward to increased numbers in the coming year, the year of The Gathering.