Ireland Attracting Visitors from Long Haul Asian Markets is Viable, but More Preparation Needed, ITIC Warns

Tourism chiefs have called for more marketing funds in Budget 2027 to help make the industry’s – and Government’s – ambition of building a sustainable inbound tourist path from long-haul markets like China and India a reality.

Both the Government and industry have, in recent months, detailed their shared desire to boost Ireland’s inbound visitor numbers beyond the core UK, North American and Mainland Europe markets - which between them represent the vast majority of annual visitors to these shores.

Already this year, however, Ministers have begun working to expand direct international air routes out of Dublin to the likes of Thailand, Brazil and India, with the Government hopeful of all three materialising within the next few years.

Industry body, the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) has said these markets are, indeed, viable inbound visitor additions for Ireland, but more work needs doing to make that a reality - via both better marketing and, importantly, improved ease of access.

"With the Dublin Airport passenger cap set to be finally lifted, Ireland now has the real opportunity to strengthen connectivity to emerging markets that have, to date, been untapped," ITIC said in its new report entitled Irish Tourism: In Pursuit of Dragons and Tigers.

“Despite accounting for 35% of the world’s population, China and India today account for just 15% of the amount spent by international tourists. The fact that both economies are growing at a far faster rate than is true for those in Europe or North America tells us that with every passing year the two will see growing numbers of citizens with the financial wherewithal to travel abroad for leisure.

"That means the share of global international tourism expenditure they represent will over time pull closer to their share of the global population.”

“Most visitors to Ireland live within a two or three hours flying time, or reside in North America, but with ambitious growth targets for inbound tourism and a distinct need to ensure market diversification, pursuing dragons and tigers can serve Irish tourism businesses well in the years ahead.

"Of course market penetration will need adequate resources; and let’s hope Budget 2027 delivers appropriate tourism marketing funds," the report added.

China Eastern Airlines recently launched its direct route between Dublin and Shanghai

Just last month, China Eastern Airlines began a new 3-times weekly direct route between Shanghai and Dublin. That adds to the already existing direct Beijing to Dublin route being operated by Hainan Airlines.

With still no direct routes to India, Thailand or Brazil, it remains vital to continue boosting Ireland’s long-distance direct air links around the globe.

"Irish tourism leaders are aware that there has been a growing dependence on North America for inbound visitation for a number of years and, although this needs to be deepened and defended, there is also a clear business need to market diversify. In that context China offers rich potential as does that other economic powerhouse, India," ITIC said.

"Being able to fly direct rather than via somewhere else has huge potential to unlock demand. Not only does this reduce the journey time but it can often lower the bureaucratic burden (and cost) of the trip. For example, visitors to Ireland from China or India transiting via the UK will have to figure out if they need/want to apply for a British Irish Visa Scheme visa or make the necessary transit visa arrangements with UK authorities as well as applying for a visa to visit the Republic of Ireland," it added.

A recent survey of what Chinese and Indian are attracted to abroad also bodes well for Ireland with items like “experiencing rural life and scenery”, “exploring history and heritage” and “visiting coastal places” high on the agenda for both.