14% drop in Irish visits; TOURISM.

THE first eight months of this year has seen a huge decline in the number of visitors to Ireland.

In September, the number of oversea trips to Ireland fell by 13.9% to 594,600 from the same time last year.

Responding to the figures Tourism Ireland Tourism Ireland is the marketing body responsible for marketing the island of Ireland overseas. Tourism Ireland was established as one of "six areas of co-operation" under the framework of the 1998 Belfast Agreement. chief executive Niall Gibbons Famous people named Gibbons include:

Beth Gibbons (born 1965), British singer
Billy Gibbons, guitarist for ZZ Top
Cedric Gibbons (1893–1960), American art director
Christopher Gibbons (1615 - 1676), English composer, son of Orlando

said 2009 has been a very tough year He added: "The figures reflect the impact on Ireland and the very difficult year that tourism businesses across the island are experiencing."

COPYRIGHT 2009 MGN LTD
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.

Reader Opinion

Article Details
Printer friendly Cite/link Email Feedback
Publication:	The Mirror (London, England)
Date:	Nov 21, 2009
Words:	81
Previous Article:	Appeal to find man, 31; SEARCH.
Next Article:	NEW SPEED CAMERAS WILL SAVE LIVES ON OUR ROADS; 45 monitors to be placed across country by next year.
Topics:	Tourism Travel industry