Visa card spend by overseas visitors up 20pc to €903m in 2013
Overseas visitors to Ireland spent over €903m on credit, debit and prepaid Visa cards during 2013, up 20pc on 2012, according to Visa Europe, which attributed much of the increase to the success of The Gathering.
Asian and Middle Eastern Visitors Lead in Average Spend per Transaction
Although visitors from the UK and the US accounted for the bulk of foreign spending in Ireland, travellers from countries in Asia and the Middle East had a higher average spend per transaction. Indonesians spent more per transaction than any other nationality, with an average of €170.71. The next highest spenders per transaction were visitors from Singapore (€136.07), followed by Kuwait (€135.30), Hong Kong (€126.21), Oman (€121.57), Malaysia (€120.26), China (€112.98), Switzerland (€112.42), Saudi Arabia (€104.67) and United Arab Emirates (€101.56).
Top Ten Countries in Overall Spending with Visa Cards
The top ten countries in terms of the overall level of spending with Visa cards were: UK (€445m, up 13pc on 2012 figures); US (€249.2m – up 40pc); France (€54.8m, up 13pc); Canada (€33.1m, up 16pc); Spain (€29.5, up 17pc); Australia (€26.5m, up 10pc); Germany (€24.5m, up 19pc); Norway (€14.9m, up 9pc); Italy (€14.25m, no change); and Sweden (€11.7m, up 19pc).
The Gathering’s Commercial Impact and Potential for Asian and Middle Eastern Visitors
“The spike in spending in 2013 clearly illustrates the success of The Gathering initiative in terms of generating a commercial return for the Irish economy, with almost €2.5m spent per day by visitors using their Visa card,” said Conor Langford, Ireland country manager, Visa Europe. “The massive rise in spending by US tourists, combined with the increase in spend by Canadian visitors, reflects the fact that record numbers from North America visited in Ireland in 2013.
“Clearly there is an opportunity to generate an even bigger boost for the Irish economy by encouraging more visitors from Asia and the Middle East to travel to Ireland due to the higher level of spending by travellers from those countries.”
Grainne Rothery