OVERSEAS TOURIST numbers to the Shannon region dropped by 27 per cent for the first nine months of last year.
The figure, released by Tourism Ireland chief executive Niall Gibbons at an annual tourism briefing for the Shannon region yesterday in Limerick, confirm that the region is by some margin the worst-affected in Ireland’s tourism slump.
The 27 per cent drop in overseas visitors to the midwest, from January to September last year, compares to a 6 per cent decrease in tourists to Dublin with the west down 17 per cent and the southwest down 15 per cent.
The figures show that overseas tourists to the southeast dropped by 15 per cent.
Reacting to the figures, the chairman of the Shannon Region branch of the Irish Hotels’ Federation, Michael Vaughan said: “People in the industry will be dumbfounded by the drop. It is a fair assessment to say that we are in crisis and facing almost an Armageddon situation.”
Attending the industry briefing, Mr Vaughan said: “The figures are a complete disaster for tourism in the region.”
A reduction in services into Shannon airport was cited as a major factor by Mr Gibbons for the drop-off. He said: “There was a 50 per cent reduction in transatlantic capacity during the winter into Shannon, a 37 per cent reduction in European capacity during the winter and 11 per cent drop in British capacity.”
Shannon is to experience a further reduction in services this year when Ryanair reduces its base at the airport by 75 per cent.
