Aside from the 10,000 Chinese tourists who visit Ireland a year 150 Chinese people from a variety of provinces will visit Ireland –from the Cliffs of Moher to Dublin to the Giant’s Causeway.
The groups have spent time in Britain before taking advantage of a trip to Ireland following the visa waiver scheme introduced by the Irish government last year. This allows them to visit the two countries at once, without applying for separate visas.
China has a renewed access to Ireland thanks to a new Emirates route via Dubai and nine leading tour operators will also include Ireland in their 2012 programmes for the first time.
“Natural, scenic beauty is an important consideration for the Chinese when considering a holiday destination; the island of Ireland offers this in abundance” Niall Gibbons, Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland says.
“With 2 million Chinese people visiting Europe each year, this is a significant emerging market and an important one for the island of Ireland to tap into. I’m delighted to see this Chinese group here, as it is evidence that the visa waiver scheme has made it easier than ever before for tourists from China, India and the GCC countries to visit Ireland.”
He added “Spend by Chinese travellers has risen four-fold in the past decade, making them the fourth-biggest spending tourists in the world”.
The Asia-Pacific region is expected to be one of the fastest-growing regions for outbound travel in the next ten years and Tourism Ireland has an eye placed on these emerging markets throughout 2012.
