CSO figures show travel to Ireland has increased on pre-pandemic levels

James Cox

More than 1,252,000 passengers arrived in Ireland on overseas routes in January 2023, a 1.4 per cent increase on the same period pre-pandemic according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

This compares with 584,100 arrivals in January 2022, an increase of 114.4 per cent. Some 1,216,600 passengers arrived by air and 35,400 by sea in January 2023.

More arrivals came via Great Britain (447,000) than via any other country in January 2023.

Of the 1,252,000 passengers arriving in Ireland in January 2023, 97.2 per cent (1,216,600) arrived by air and 2.8 per cent (35,400) arrived by sea. These percentage shares are comparable to pre-pandemic January 2020 when 96.8 per cent of passengers arrived by air and 3.2 per cent arrived by sea.

In January 2023, 35.8 per cent of passenger arrivals (448,000) came or returned to Ireland on cross-channel routes (their point of embarkation was an airport or seaport in Great Britain, the Isle of Man, or the Channel Islands).

Some 52.2 per cent of passenger arrivals (653,600) came or returned to Ireland on continental routes (embarking in a European airport or seaport other than in Great Britain, the Isle of Man, or the Channel Islands).

A further 7.3 per cent of passenger arrivals (91,100) came or returned to Ireland on transatlantic routes (embarking in the United States or Canada). Just 4.7 per cent of passenger arrivals (59,300) came or returned to Ireland on other routes (embarking in Africa or Asia).

Apart from Great Britain (which accounted for almost all cross-channel activity in January 2023), the most important country gateways for passengers travelling to Ireland were Spain (153,100), the United States (81,700), France (80,400) and Germany (65,000).

Gregg Patrick, statistician in the Tourism and Travel Division, said: “The latest Air and Sea Travel Statistics show that 1,252,000 passengers arrived in Ireland on overseas routes in January 2023. These passengers, comprising foreign visitors arriving in Ireland and Irish overseas travellers returning home, represented a very substantial increase on January 2022, when 584,100 passengers arrived on overseas routes.

"The increase is even more substantial when compared with January 2021 when just 108,000 passengers arrived on these routes. Passenger arrivals are also higher than pre-pandemic January 2020, when 1,235,100 passengers arrived on overseas routes, representing an increase of 1.4 per cent."

Mr Patrick added: "The recovery is seen in both modes of travel (air and sea), although the recovery in air travel is most pronounced, increasing by 115.9 per cent in January 2023 compared with January 2022. The recovery is also spread across all major routes, with transatlantic traffic up most (126.4 per cent) in relative terms, increasing from 40,200 in January 2022 to 91,100 in January 2023.

"Among the continental routes, Spanish routes remain the busiest, with 153,100 passengers arriving on these routes in January 2023, a 72.2 per cent increase compared with January 2022. However, in overall terms, Great Britain remained the most important departure country for overseas travel to Ireland, with 447,000 passengers arriving on air and sea routes from Great Britain in January 2023, compared to just 164,700 in January 2022."