Fáilte Ireland May Statistics Confirm that Ireland’s Traffic Decline is Accelerating

Ryanair, Ireland’s largest airline, welcomed the May traffic figures published by Fáilte Ireland which confirmed that the collapse in air passenger traffic is accelerating as May traffic fell by 15%, much greater than the 10% decline of the first four months to April. Since the Government’s EUR10 tax was introduced on April Fools’ Day the rate of traffic decline and tourism collapse has accelerated.

 

Ryanair warned that unless the EUR10 tourist tax is scrapped, this tourism collapse will worsen next winter, as more flights and services are cut from Dublin Airport, in response to the Government’s EUR10 tourist tax and the DAA Monopoly’s high and increasing airport charges.
 
Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said “Fáilte Ireland’s May traffic figures confirm that the collapse in passenger traffic to/from Ireland is accelerating as the Irish Government’s €10 visitor tax makes Ireland an uncompetitive tourist market. After a decline of 10% in the first four months of 2009, May saw air traffic collapse by an astonishing 15%. The most significant fall was experienced in arrivals to Ireland (down 19%), proving that the Government’s €10 visitor tax is now driving tourism away.
 
“Passenger traffic will collapse even further this winter as both Aer Lingus and Ryanair have announced further cuts in flights and traffic at Dublin. The only way to reverse this tourism collapse is to lower airport costs and scrap this EUR10 tourist tax.
 
“In recent months the Belgian, Dutch, Greek and Spanish governments have all scrapped tourist taxes and/or reduced airport charges to zero in order to stimulate tourism. The Irish Government cannot grow tourism by taxing it. This didn’t work in the 1970’s and 1980’s and it won’t work in 2009 either. It is time to scrap this EUR10 tourist tax now before even further damage is inflicted upon Irish tourism”.
 

(c) Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. Date posted: 01-Jul-09

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