Arrivals Back to Pre-Covid Levels

Passenger arrivals have now "effectively returned to pre-pandemic levels" for the first time since the Covid-19 crisis, the Central Statistics Office said.

More than 1,340,400 air and sea passengers arrived from overseas in November, which was just 0.8 per cent lower than the number seen in November 2019, it said, and is up 70.6 per cent on November 2021.

"These passengers, comprising foreign visitors arriving in Ireland and Irish overseas travellers returning home, represent a very substantial increase on November 2021, when 785,800 passengers arrived on overseas routes. The increase is even more substantial when compared with November 2020 when just 103,900 passengers arrived on these routes," said Gregg Patrick, a statistician in the CSO’s tourism and travel division.

Some 1,292,800 people arrived by air last month, or 96.4 per cent of the total, with 47,600 arriving by sea, with more arrivals coming from Britain than from any other country.

While there has been a recovery in both modes of travel, the recovery in air travel is "most pronounced" the CSO said, with arrivals soaring 71.3 per cent year-on-year.