Table of Contents
Overview
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- What you need to know
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Definition
Executive Summary
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- The market
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- Figure 1: Estimated total of visitor numbers, 000s, IoI, NI and RoI, 2015-20
- Figure 2: Estimated total of tourism revenue, €m, IoI, NI and RoI, 2015-20
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- Figure 3: Estimated total of domestic vs out-of-state visitor numbers, 000s, IoI, 2015-20
- Market factors
- Pound value continues to be low in 2020
- Collapsing holiday companies leave Irish consumers wary
- Giant’s Causeway and Guinness Storehouse continue to be popular
- Brexit still a looming issue for Irish tourism
- Impact of COVID-19 on domestic and overseas tourism
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- Figure 4: Estimated total of visitor numbers, 000s, IoI, 2015-25
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- Figure 5: Expected impact of COVID-19 on domestic and overseas tourism, short, medium and long-term, 31 July 2020
- Companies, brands and innovations
- The consumer
- Irish consumers prefer independent trips as opposed to packaged holidays
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- Figure 6: Types of trips undertaken by Irish consumers in Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland within the last 12 months, NI and RoI, April 2020
- Irish consumers don’t travel too far for short breaks
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- Figure 7: Locations visited by consumers for short break overseas in the last 12 months, NI and RoI, April 2020
- RoI consumers show appetite for trips beyond old favourites
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- Figure 8: Locations visited by consumers for holidays overseas in the last 12 months, NI and RoI, April 2020
- Pubs and shopping favoured tourism activities
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- Figure 9: Types of activities done by consumers when on domestic or overseas trips in the last 12 months, NI and RoI, April 2020
- Nine in 10 want to relax on a trip
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- Figure 10: Agreement with statements relating to tourism, NI and RoI, April 2020
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- COVID-19 set to half visitor numbers for 2020
- £ to € exchange rates continues to be volatile
- Consumers wary of travel in light of holiday company collapse
- Giant’s Causeway and Guinness Storehouse continue to be popular
- Brexit could disrupt Irish tourism further
Impact of COVID-19 on Tourism
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- Short, medium and long-term impact on the industry
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- Figure 11: Expected impact of COVID-19 on domestic and overseas tourism, short, medium and long-term, 31 July 2020
- Opportunities and threats
- Irish consumers spending intentions for holidays subdued
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- Figure 12: Agreement with selected statements relating to COVID-19 and travel plans, NI and RoI, April 2020
- Figure 13: How consumers feel their spending on holidays will change compared to their usual spending habits in the next month, IoI, April-July 2020
- Key overseas target markets similarly skittish about travelling
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- Figure 14: How consumers feel their spending on holidays will change compared to their usual spending habits in the next month, GB, April-July 2020
- Strong level of consumers cancelled trips and could make them unwilling to re-book
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- Figure 15: Agreement with selected statements relating to COVID-19 and cancelled holiday plans, NI and RoI, April 2020
- Impact on consumer finances will restrict spending on travel
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- Figure 16: Impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on consumer finances, NI and RoI, June 2020
- Impact on the domestic and overseas tourism market
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- Figure 17: Estimated total of visitor numbers, 000s, IoI, 2015-25
- Figure 18: Estimated total of visitor revenue (€m), 000s, IoI, 2015-25
- How the crisis will affect tourism’s key consumer segments
- Decrease in virus concern; but consumers still wary
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- Figure 19: How worried consumers are about the risk of being exposed to COVID-19, IoI, March-July 2020
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- Figure 20: How worried consumers are about the risk of being exposed to COVID-19, IoI, July (w9) 2020
- Strong intention to take a domestic break rather than travel abroad
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- Figure 21: Agreement with the statement ‘I would be more likely to take a trip locally than travel abroad’, by age group, NI and RoI, April 2020
- Irish consumers uncomfortable with flights, hotels and crowded events
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- Figure 22: Comfort levels with tasks related to travel and tourism, IoI, July 2020
- How a COVID-19 recession will reshape the tourism category
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- Figure 23: Indexed estimated total visitor numbers, 000s, IoI, 2007-13
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- Figure 24: Agreement with the question ‘since the COVID-19 outbreak, have your priorities on the environment changed?’, IoI, May 2020
- Marketing mix
- COVID-19: UK & RoI context
Market Size and Forecast
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- 2020 sees harrowing fall in visitor numbers
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- Figure 25: Estimated total of visitor numbers, 000s, IoI, NI and RoI, 2015-25
- Figure 26: Estimated total of tourism revenue, €m, IoI, NI and RoI, 2015-25
- Overseas visitor numbers hardest hit
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- Figure 27: Estimated overseas and out-of-state visitor numbers, NI and RoI, 2015-25
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- Figure 28: Estimated overseas and out-of-state revenue, NI and RoI, 2015-25
- Domestic trips and spending fall too, but camping and caravanning could benefit
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- Figure 29: Estimated domestic visitor numbers, NI and RoI, 2015-25
Market Drivers
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- Exchange rates see Sterling take a hit in 2020
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- Figure 30: Sterling to euro exchange rate, 2015-20*
- Collapsing holiday firms likely to damage consumer trust
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- Figure 31: Agreement with the statement ‘People should be wary about booking overseas travel in light of the issues with collapsing travel companies (eg Flybe, Thomas Cook)’, NI and RoI, April 2020
- Giant’s Causeway top attraction in NI
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- Figure 32: Top 10 visitor attractions, by number of visitors, NI, 2015-18
- Guinness Storehouse still favourite attraction in RoI
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- Figure 33: Top 10 visitor attractions, by number of visitors, RoI, 2015-18
- Threat of Brexit hasn’t gone away
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- Figure 34: Total out-of-state visitors to RoI, by region of origin, 2018
- NI tourism could benefit from Brexit
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- Figure 35: Total out-of-state visitors to NI, by region of origin, 2018
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- Figure 36: Agreement with selected statements related to Brexit, NI and RoI, June 2019
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- Figure 37: What effect consumers think Brexit will have on the economy, NI and RoI, June 2019
Companies and Brands – What You Need to Know
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- Tourism bodies react to COVID-19 threat
- Robotic and automated service could increase
- Iceland offering COVID-19 scream therapy
- Eco-hotel pods could appeal to increasingly environmentally conscious travellers
Company Profiles
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- Tourism NI
- Key facts
- Marketing activities
- Recent developments
- Fáilte Ireland
- Key facts
- Marketing activities
- Recent developments
- Tourism Ireland
- Key facts
- Marketing activities
- Recent developments
Competitive Strategies and Key Markets
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- Great Britain – VisitBritain
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- Figure 38: Visits made to visitor attractions in membership of ALVA, UK, 2018 and 2019
- Italy – Italian National Tourist Board
- France – Atout France
- Germany – The German National Tourist Board
- Spain – Turespaña
- US – Brand USA
- Australia – Tourism Australia
- India – Ministry of Tourism
Who’s Innovating?
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- Hilton Hotels embrace robot room service during COVID-19 crisis
- Scream therapy encouraged in Iceland to vent COVID-19 frustrations
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- Figure 39: The Looks Like You Need Iceland campaign, July 2020
- Forest bathing
- Self-contained eco-hotels
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- Figure 40: Anthénea eco-hotel pod, July 2020
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- Figure 41: Issues consumers think tourism/travel companies should prioritise, NI and RoI, January 2020
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Short breaks at home, holidays abroad the norm
- Great Britain key short break destination
- Pubs and shopping favoured tourism activities
- Nine in 10 want to relax on a trip
Type of Domestic and Overseas Breaks Taken
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- Irish consumers are independent travellers
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- Figure 42: Types of trips undertaken by Irish consumers in Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland within the last 12 months, NI and RoI, April 2020
- Domestic trips are short and independent
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- Figure 43: Domestic trips undertaken by Irish consumers in Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland within the last 12 months, NI and RoI, April 2020
- 55+ key domestic break targets
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- Figure 44: Domestic independent short breaks undertaken by Irish consumers in Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland within the last 12 months, by age group, NI and RoI, April 2020
- Consumers typically take longer breaks abroad
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- Figure 45: Overseas trips undertaken by Irish consumers within the last 12 months, NI and RoI, April 2020
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- Figure 46: Overseas independent holidays undertaken by Irish consumers within the last 12 months, by age group and social grade, NI and RoI, April 2020
Favourite Overseas Destinations
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- Half of consumers have visited Great Britain for a short break
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- Figure 47: Locations visited by consumers for short break overseas in the last 12 months, NI and RoI, April 2020
- Brexit likely to curtail visits to GB by RoI consumers post-COVID-19
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- Figure 48: Consumers who visited Great Britain for a short break in the last 12 months, by generational groups*, RoI, April 2020
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- Figure 49: Types of non-music events attended in the last two years, NI and RoI, September 2019
- Spain – a main holiday draw for NI; RoI consumers want something different
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- Figure 50: Locations visited by consumers for holidays overseas in the last 12 months, NI and RoI, April 2020
- Off the beaten European track appeals to younger travellers
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- Figure 51: Consumers who visited other European countries for overseas holidays in the last 12 months, by gender and age group, NI and RoI, April 2020
- Incoming pain for Spain
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- Figure 52: Consumers who visited Spain for overseas holidays in the last 12 months, by gender, NI and RoI, April 2020
Type of Activities Undertaken
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- Pubs and shopping still key activities in 2020
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- Figure 53: Types of activities done by consumers when on domestic or overseas trips in the last 12 months, NI and RoI, April 2020
- Holiday pub visiting increases with age
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- Figure 54: Consumers who visited a pub when on domestic or overseas trips in the last 12 months, NI and RoI, April 2020
- Shopping on holiday done more by women
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- Figure 55: Consumers who shopped when on domestic or overseas trips in the last 12 months, by gender, NI and RoI, April 2020
- RoI consumers more likely to walk/hike/cycle on holidays/short breaks
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- Figure 56: Consumers who walked/hiked/cycled when on domestic or overseas trips in the last 12 months, by gender, NI and RoI, April 2020
- Figure 57: Amount of effort consumers put into staying healthy, NI and RoI, June 2018
Attitudes Towards Domestic and Overseas Tourism
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- Relaxing a key priority when taking a trip
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- Figure 58: Agreement with statements relating to tourism, NI and RoI, April 2020
- Relaxing increases in importance to older generations
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- Figure 59: Agreement with the statement ‘It is important to relax while on a short break or holiday’, by generational group, NI and RoI, April 2020
- Irish consumers have positive opinion of Ireland as a tourism destination
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- Figure 60: Agreement with the statement ‘NI/RoI has a lot to offer in terms of holidays/ short breaks’, by socio-economic group, NI and RoI, April 2020
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- Figure 61: Social networks used in the last three months, NI and RoI, January 2020
- Three quarters of consumers wary of booking with travel companies
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Data sources
- Consumer research
- Market size rationale
- Generational cohort definitions
- Abbreviations
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