DUBLIN, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- The number of British visitors coming to Ireland between May and July this year decreased by 3.8 percent to 978,700, when compared with the same period last year, according to official figures published on Tuesday.
The figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) showed that in the seven months to the end of July 2017, the number of British visitors coming to Ireland decreased by 6.2 percent when compared with the same period in 2016.
Market analysts say the number of British visitors has been impacted by the drop in the value of the British pound against the euro, which has made Ireland a more expensive destination for British tourists.
The pound has devalued by almost 21.5 percent against the euro after the Brexit referendum in June 2016, with the value of the euro rising from 0.76 pounds immediately before the referendum to 0.93 pounds now.
"As anticipated, the currency challenge for Irish tourism is very real and the drop in British visitor numbers for the January to July period reflects that," said Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland.
Tourism Ireland is the marketing body responsible for marketing the island of Ireland overseas.
"The decline in the value of sterling has made holidays and short breaks here more expensive for British visitors; and economic uncertainty is undoubtedly making British travellers more cautious about their discretionary spending. This is impacting on travel to Ireland," he said.
