The Guinness Storehouse, Dublin, says sláinte to a record year

The Guinness Storehouse, Ireland’s leading international visitor attraction, saw a record 1,647,408 guests passed through its doors in 2016, amounting to a 10% increase. Visitors from mainland Europe made up the majority of the increased footfall, with over 30% of all guests travelling from the continent. Visitors from the United Kingdom and the United States each accounted for 25%. The highest year on year growth came from the Netherlands, which increased its visitor numbers by 41%. This directly matches the most recent CSO figures, which saw a 31% growth in visitor numbers from the Benelux countries – a trend that is expected to continue with the announcement of additional flight routes to the Netherlands earlier in the year. Other key growth markets over the 12 months include Switzerland (23%) followed by Canada (26%), China (24%) and Spain (21%). Commenting on the visitor numbers, Aine Kavanagh from Guinness Storehouse said: “2016 was an incredibly successful year for us at the Guinness Storehouse, surpassing all previous records. “Our increase in visitors is certainly supported by increased access, with new flights continually coming into the capital. These make an instant impact on our business and are critical in driving growth in tourism to the capital.” A 15% growth in passenger numbers and flight routes into Dublin with new flights to Ireland from the US, Germany and Scandinavia, paired with strong economies in the United States and continental Europe played a big role in driving these figures. Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland said: “These record visitor numbers show that Ireland is as popular as ever with overseas visitors from the UK, US, wider Europe and Asia. Compelling attractions such as the Guinness Storehouse are creating even more reasons to visit Dublin and beyond, and we look forward to welcoming an increasing number of visitors during 2017.”