Irish people are making more visits abroad and spending more when away despite the gloomy economic climate, according to the latest CSO figures on tourism and travel published today.
The number of Irish visits abroad during the first quarter of 2008 grew 12 per cent on the same period last year, the CSO reports.
There were 1,762,000 Irish visits abroad from January to March this year, compared to 1,575,000 last year - although the CSO noted that visits over the Easter holidays fell in the first quarter for 2008.
In terms of expenditure, Irish visitors overseas spent a total of €1,452 million for January-March 2008, compared to €1,143 million for the same quarter last year.
As total earnings from visitors to Ireland accounted for €824 million in the first quarter, the expenditure figures for January-March 2008 show a net outflow of €628 million.
The CSO also found that overseas trips on transatlantic routes grew 35 per cent quarter on quarter, and that overall Irish trips abroad to see friends or relatives increased by 16 per cent.
There was also an increase in the numbers of overseas visits to the State in the quarter: From January to March this year, these visits grew 4 per cent, to 1,542,000 from 1,478,000 last year.
The number of British visitors during the period grew 10 per cent, those from other European nations fell by 3 per cent, while those from Other Areas rose by 6 per cent on the first quarter of 2007.
The number of visits by residents of the United States and Canada were unchanged.
The latest survey also found that the number of bednights spent on visits to Ireland rose by 9 per cent in the first quarter of 2008 compared to 2007, with the number of nights spent in hotels increasing over the same quarters.
