Written answers

Wednesday, 18 January 2023

Department of Public Expenditure and Reform

Heritage Sites

Photo of Paul KehoePaul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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419. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the indoor and outdoor visitor numbers to the visitor centre in the Phoenix Park in each month from May to October 2017 to 2022, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1812/23]

Photo of Patrick O'DonovanPatrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The Phoenix Park Visitor Centre is a major tourist attraction located in the heart of the Phoenix Park, which has in excess of one million visitor per year. The complex comprises of the award winning Victorian Kitchen Garden, the Phoenix Cafe,  universal access playground, visitor centre, gallery and toilets along with extensive pleasure grounds. Major events take place on an annual basis including Bloom and the Phoenix Park Biodiversity and Honey Show.

The Visitor centre is a hub for educational events, exhibitions, information sessions and many events throughout the year. The OPW guide service lead a range of historical and  ecological tours and activities for all ages including a numberof educational modules suitable for the primary school curriculum. Tours are also provided to Áras an Uachtaráin, Arbour Hill Cemetery, Grangegorman Military Cemetery and the Irish National War Memorial Gardens. 

The schedules attached demonstrates the periods of restrictions during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, and this is reflected in the indoor visitor numbers which are compiled on a weekly basis.  As the figures required, specified calendar months to the end of October, some years include the first week in November figures.

Phoenix Park Visitor Centre – Numbers of recorded visitors for May to October -2017 to 2022.

Outdoor Area of Phoenix Park Visitor Centre Complex May June July August September October
2017 217,348 202,982 186,878 165,409 129,521 118,630
2018 221,150 152,954 200,241 160,465 138,379 131,304
2019 126,682 172,957 231,884 179,065 133,946 95,244
2020 91,327 168,834 182,225 188,195 177,873 181,953
2021 136,793 123,659 184,956 187,622 152,876 155,489
2022 208,812 199,320 177,544 186,189 170,920 148,505
Indoor area of Phoenix Park Visitor Centre Only May June* July August September October
2017 6,606 4,485 10,611 8,164 8,386 6,486
2018 6,869 4,765 15,944 10,185 10,755 5,581
2019 6,813 11,040 9,943 10,811 11,270 6,142
2020 Closed Closed 2,672 2,738 836 13
2021 1200 2402 2,853 4,151 3,583 5,000
2022 6886 1,453 9,379 11,088 7,554 4,800
*The Phoenix Park Visitor Centre closes during the Bloom Festival each year to allow staff to operate an outdoor reception desk. The numbers of visitors to this outdoor reception desk are not included in the indoor area of the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre numbers.

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