Galway to see hike in trans-Atlantic tourists

Ireland is ‘back in vogue’ among the American tourist market, which will be good for the industry in Galway city and county in the season ahead, tourism chiefs have predicted.

Overseas visitors from the North American market are up by 17 per cent, according to official figures for the first quarter of this year, which includes the traditional St Patrick’s Day bounce.

The two new transatlantic flights coming on stream later this summer is also going to boost numbers, as will the yearlong Gathering celebration which has “struck a chord” with the US consumer, according to Fáilte Ireland West.

The positive soundings on increased bookings in the American market coincides with a new survey showing Ireland is more competitive now in terms of price than it has been in over a decade.

The national survey on value for money “augurs well” for Galway’s tourism season, particularly the all-important UK market, which is sensitive to cost, Fiona Monaghan of Fáilte Ireland West has said.

Ms Monaghan said Galway’s tourism industry had problems for some time with the price of a meal out and the price of a pint but she welcomed the results of the survey showing 41 per cent of overseas visitors to Ireland last year found it “good value for money”.

“This augurs well for Galway that the hard work the industry has invested in reducing cost and offering better value for money is showing up in the research,” said Ms Monaghan.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.