Dublin to build on popularity among Chinese tourists, wants more direct flights to Hong Kong
- About 90,000 Chinese tourists visited Ireland in 2017, an increase of 43 per cent over 2016
- Mainland China is Ireland’s biggest trade partner in Asia and an increase in direct flights is expected to boost this relationship
Ireland is keen to expand the number of flights between Hong Kong and Dublin this summer, with the aim of attracting more Chinese tourists, Michael D’Arcy, minister of state of the Republic of Ireland’s Finance Department, said in an interview.
The Cathay Pacific service to Dublin that started in June 2018 runs four times a week, and D’Arcy is negotiating for an expansion to five or six flights a week. The Hong Kong service is the first between an Asian city and Dublin, followed by Beijing, and has contributed to an expansion in trade and tourism.
Retail property outlook across Asia in 2019 hinges on mainland tourism and spending, analysts say
“The direct flight between Dublin and Hong Kong … is providing an instant boost to a number of sectors, especially tourism and seafood exports,” said D’Arcy. According to the minister, an increase in the number of flights will help in bringing more of the 100 million residents of southern China to Ireland.
“Ireland is a big country with only 4.8 million people. We have the space and facilities to meet with many more tourists,” he said, adding that his country did not share concerns about too many tourist arrivals expressed by some European nations.
According to financial services company CLSA, mainland China tourists are expected to make 200 million foreign trips annually by 2020. And while they currently flock to destinations such as Hong Kong, Thailand, South Korea and Japan, D’Arcy said Ireland was rising in popularity.
About 90,000 Chinese tourists visited Ireland, where scenes from the Star Wars movies as well as HBO’s Game of Thrones television series have been filmed, in 2017. This represents an increase of 43 per cent from 2016, according to Republic of Ireland government data. Figures for 2018 have not been released yet but it is expected to be a further significant increase considering the two direct flights, one from Hong Kong and one from Beijing, which started services in June 2018.