The number of overseas visitors to Ireland fell by 12 per cent in November, according to new figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
Visitors from North America declined by 21 per cent to 48,300 compared to the same month in 2007, while visitors from Britain were down 14 per cent to 261,200.
The number of overseas visitors from other European countries declined 8.3 per cent to 170,100.
Overall, 499,1000 visitors entered the country during November, down from 569,300 for the same month in 2007.
Last year saw the first decline in overseas visitor numbers in seven years, coupled with an estimated 10 per cent drop in tourism industry employment, according to recent figures from Fáilte Ireland.
Fine Gael said today the latest figures show that the tourism sector is in meltdown. "This trend of tourists staying away is now absolutely certain and it is crystal clear that the results for the fourth quarter will be catastrophic," said the party's tourism spokeswoman Olivia Mitchell.
Overseas trips by Irish residents fell slightly from 509,700 in November 2007 to 505,200 in November 2008, according to the CSO figures.
In the first 11 months of 2008, 7,386,2000 overseas visits were taken by Irish residents, up 3.2 per cent of the same period in 2007. However, this increase fell well short of the 11.9 per cent recorded the previous year.
