The card-based spending by overseas visitors to Ireland has increased by 21% to 794m in the 12 months ended 30 September 2013, according to a data by Visa Europe.
The increase in card-based spending, including that by debit, credit and pre-paid cards, was primarily due to 6.4% rise in the number of tourists visiting the country in 2013.
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The top countries that supported the Irish economy in 2013 were UK, US, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Canada and Australia. The US and UK visitors together spent nearly 540m.
Visa Europe Ireland country manager, Conor Langford, said what is clear from the data is that foreign cardholders always look to use payment cards wherever possible due to convenience and security, with a 21% increase in spending compared with last year.
“In this regard, it is important that Irish businesses keep up-to-date with the latest payment technology, such as contactless payments which are becoming commonplace across Europe, as overseas visitors will automatically expect to use the same payment methods in Ireland,” Langford added.
“Our cardholder data underlines the importance of overseas visitors to the Irish economy and in this respect the Government should be congratulated for boosting visitor numbers through The Gathering initiative.”
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