NI Tourism: Significant rise in visitors from Republic of Ireland

Hillsborough Castle in County Down is one NI location that has seen an increase in cross-border visits

Record numbers of people from the Republic of Ireland visited Northern Ireland as tourists in 2022.

More than 800,000 trips were made between January and September last year, according to figures from the Central Statistics Office.

Numbers are up more than 50 per cent on pre-pandemic levels.

Hillsborough Castle in County Down is one of the locations that has seen an increase in cross-border visits.

Members of the Royal Family stay at Hillsborough when visiting Northern Ireland.

In 2019, the palace opened it doors and 100-acre gardens to the public for the first time before closing due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Open Golf Championship in Portrush, County Antrim in 2019 helped with the rise in cross-border visits

'Rise in staycations'

Laura McCorry, Head of Hillsborough Castle told RTÉ that visitors from the Republic of Ireland are fascinated by the Royal Family.

She said that a lot of people from the Republic would travel in coach tours and it has become a strong market for them.

"This year already, we have got forward bookings up about 10 per cent to 12 per cent for visitors coming from the Republic of Ireland, so we're delighted to see that," she said.

Tourism NI said visitor numbers have trebled since 2015.

They believe numbers are up because of Covid-19 restrictions which encouraged people to have a "staycation".

According to the Central Statistics Office's Household Travel Survey 809,171 cross-border trips were made between January and September 2022.