Ireland rolling out the green carpet for Chinese tourists

Traditionally, Ireland is sold as part of a UK + Ireland package in China because of lower awareness of the country. With the advent of direct flights and greater knowledge of the British Irish Visa Scheme (BIVS) issued in 2014, more and more Chinese visitors are selecting Ireland as a single destination for in-depth tours, and even with UK + Ireland tours the number of nights in Ireland is increasing.

The increase in bed nights is boosted by self-driving visitors, who stay an average of seven days on the island and explore areas like the Causeway Coastal Route and the longest dedicated coastal tourist driving route in the world, at 2,500km - the Wild Atlantic Way, as well as everything in between.

To be better prepared for the increasing Chinese tourist population, a China Ready Program was initiated to train those in the industry in aspects of language, culture, routes to market, food and drink and signage.