Vanessa Markey and Niall Gibbons of Tourism Ireland with Dervla O’Neill, EPIC Ireland, ‘Luke Skywalker’ and Minister of State for Tourism Minister, Patrick O’Donovan at the World Travel Market in London in November.

Recent Tourism Ireland research among 2,000 British consumers reveals no significant change in the holiday intentions of Britons since the Brexit vote Just seven per cent say they are less likely to holiday overseas in 2017. However, of those Britons who will consider travelling overseas for their holiday, the Red C research indicates that 50% will spend less while on holiday, 37% will reduce their holiday budget, 26% will change their accommodation type, and 25% will reduce their length of stay. 18% of those surveyed say the Brexit vote will influence their holiday choice in the next year and 17% will postpone a trip outside the UK. Meanwhile, the latest Fáilte Ireland Tourism Barometer Survey shows that 76% of businesses remain confident about their businesses, with 67% of hotels and visitor attractions expecting to build their business in 2017 and two thirds (64%) of paid service accommodation expecting to expand. However, the survey also reveals that tourism sector sentiment, which has been on the rise for the last few years, may now be plateauing as concerns for Brexit take hold.