The Chair of Clare’s Tourism Advisory Forum is warning that the county’s success in the domestic tourism market last year should be taken with a pinch of salt.
The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office show that Irish tourists stayed longer in Clare on average than in all but one other county in 2021.
Recent data from the Central Statistics Office shows there were 261,000 trips to Clare by Irish residents on domestic travel in 2021, which was nearly 5 percent of the national total.
Staycationers remained in Clare for an average of 3.9 nights last year, with only Donegal averaging longer at five nights.
The former Chair of Clare Tourism is welcoming these figures, citing the counties numerous attractions as the reason for our success in the domestic market.
Eoin O’Hagan, who’s also the Managing Director of Cealtra Communications in East Clare says the affordability of accommodation in Clare is a factor in attracting and retaining visitors from other counties.
However, the Chair of Clare’s Tourism Advisory Forum is warning that we should take the figures for 2021 with a pinch of salt.
Sean Lally, Co-owner of Hotel Woodstock in Ennis, says the limitations placed on international travel by the Covid-19 pandemic would have driven the increase in domestic tourism.
The Ennis hotelier also feels the abundance of self-catering accommodation in the county could have skewed our figures as people stay for longer periods in this type of accommodation.
The Co-Founder of Loop Head Tourism feels there are positives and negatives to Clare’s success in the domestic tourism market.
Kilkee Fianna Fáil Councillor and tourism consultant, Cillian Murphy, believes we need to shift the focus towards developing direct employment from hotel and B&B accommodation.
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