Question to the Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach (Mr Paul Kehoe, TD)
To ask the Taoiseach in view of the latest tourism figures which show an increase in the number of visitors here, if he will provide details of the impact of these increases on the numbers of tourists arriving through Cork Airport and those using the Cork-Roscoff ferry link; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
REPLY
The Central Statistics Office publishes a range of information on tourism and transport. With respect to the information requested by the Deputy the latest information which can be provided is for April 2013. The table below shows the total number of trips through Cork Airport and on the Cork to Roscoff ferry route, for the period January to April for each of the last 4 years.
In line with international standards for statistics on tourism and travel a trip is defined as a journey (usually including the return) from one place to another, for any purpose (i.e. both tourism and non tourism). The number of trips is calculated as the average of the number of outward and inward journeys. The Central Statistics Office receives passenger number figures from the airport authorities and ferry companies. It should be noted that the figures include passengers of all residencies, both Irish and non-Irish, as it is not possible from the sources in question to separately identify Irish/ non-Irish residents.
Table : Number of trips via Cork Airport and Cork-Roscoff ferry
| –
|
Cork Airport
|
Cork Airport
|
Cork-Roscoff Ferry
|
Cork-Roscoff Ferry
|
| –
|
Number of Trips
|
Annual change (trips)
|
Number of trips
|
Annual change (trips)
|
| January- April 2010
|
298,815
|
|
6,105
|
|
| January- April 2011
|
303,843
|
5,029
|
4,870
|
-1,235
|
| January- April 2012
|
311,298
|
7,455
|
5,321
|
451
|
| January- April 2013
|
309,033
|
-2,265
|
5,375
|
54
|