By James Ward, PA
Overseas travel for the month of April was almost four times higher than the same month last year, new CSO figures show.
April 2021 saw 69,400 overseas passenger arrivals and 73,000 departures, compared with 16,100 arrivals and 17,800 departures in the same month last year.
Overseas travel significantly increased in April compared with March this year, with the number of arrivals up 13.1 per cent from 61,400 and departures up 9.8 per cent from 66,500.
However, for every overseas traveller in April 2021, there were 24 in pre-pandemic April 2019, when there were 1,712,900 arrivals and 1,736,400 departures.
That represents a drop of 95.9 per cent and 95.8 per cent respectively.
One overseas traveller for every twenty four pre-pandemichttps://t.co/2fcQ47w9lR #CSOIreland #Ireland #Tourism #Travel #Holidays #LoveIreland #OverseasTravel #AirAndSeaTravel pic.twitter.com/h5GP4QTl2z
— Central Statistics Office Ireland (@CSOIreland) May 31, 2021
CSO statistician Gregg Patrick said: “The April 2021 statistics show that continental routes contributed most to the passenger traffic.
“Some 40,100 passengers arrived on continental routes and 37,300 passengers departed on continental routes.
“By way of contrast, 21,600 passengers arrived on cross-channel routes and 28,000 passengers departed on cross-channel routes.
“Just 3,300 passengers arrived on transatlantic routes and the same number of passengers departed on these routes.”
Apart from Britain, which accounted for all cross-channel routes, the most important countries for overseas travel in April 2021 were the Netherlands (7,300 arrivals, 6,100 departures), Spain (6,300 arrivals, 5,000 departures) and Poland (4,700 arrivals and departures).
Passenger traffic
Of the 69,400 persons arriving in Ireland in April 2021, 88.5 per cent, or 61,400, arrived by air and 11.5 per cent, or 8,000, arrived by sea.
Of the 73,000 persons departing Ireland, 84.3 per cent, or 61,500, departed by air and 15.7 per cent, or 11,500, departed by sea.
The continental route accounted for most passenger traffic, with 57.8 per cent of arrivals, or 40,100, and 51.0 per cent of departures, 37,300.
The cross-channel route was next busiest, with 31.2 per cent of arrivals, or 21,600, and 38.3 per cent departures, 28,000.
The transatlantic route saw just 4.8 per cent of arrivals, or 3,300, and 4.6 per cent of departures, 3,300.
So far this year 293,700 people arrived in Ireland from overseas and 311,400 people departed.
This compares with 3,101,300 arrivals and 3,063,100 departures in the same period in 2020, and 5,579,300 arrivals and 5,575,700 departures in the same period in 2019.
