Donegal was the 10th most-visited county in Ireland by overseas tourists in 2017, according to new figures from Failte Ireland and CSO.
Some 255,000 foreign tourists checked out the ‘Coolest Place’ last year and spent €82 million during their stay.
However, the figure is a fall of 28,000 visitors from 2016, when 283,000 overseas travellers made Donegal their destination and spent €90 million.
Overseas tourist visits to Ireland grew by 3.2% to 9 million in 2017, making it a record-breaking year for tourism nationally. Visitors spent a combined €4.9 billion during their visits.
Irish residents took 9.6 million trips within Ireland and spent €1.9 billion last year. Domestic visitors took 376,000 trips to Donegal in 2017, spending €96 million on their travels.
The number of local visitors is up by 2,000 from 2016, when 374,000 Irish residents’ trips were made to Donegal, spending €99.9million.
The number one fee-charging attraction in Co. Donegal was Glenveagh Castle and Grounds, with 211,000 visitors exploring the national park in 2017.
Malin Head Viewing Point and the Sliabh Liag Cliffs were Donegal’s top free attractions, attracting 172,329 and 164,546 visitors respectively.
Overseas tourists from Britain to Ireland have fallen by 5.1% in the last year, while other markets continue to grow. Mainland Europe recorded growth of 5%. North American visitor numbers increased by 16.1%, with the long haul markets increasing by 14.2% in 2017.
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