•David

Visitors to Ireland by area of residence - change January-November 2017 vs. January-November 2016, and January-November 2017 share of total visitation:

Great Britain -5.2% visits (37.1% share, down from typical 40%)

Other Europe +5.5% visits (35% share)

North America +16.6% visits (21% share)

Other Regions +18.4% visits (6% share)

So the "Other Regions" market (which would include South America, Asia - Pacific, Africa, Middle East) had highest rate of growth, but from a small base, so a relatively few absolute numbers of visits. Direct China-Ireland flights would speed this growth up considerably; throwing a lot of marketing money at this market - less so.

Great Britain is down primarily because of a combination of weak GBP and Brexit uncertainty; more marketing probably won't help much here either.

So we hope the lion's share of Irish destination-marketing spending is targeting North America and continental Europe.