Kerry sites a must do for car rental tourists

THE Ring of Kerry and Killarney National Park are among the top tourist attractions according to a Europcar Ireland survey which shines light on tourist profiles and trends.

Over 20 percent of tourists said Kerry has the most recognised tourist attractions outside of Dublin. Most visitors (61 percent) travelled to Ireland to discover what the country has to offer and picked Kerry as rural Ireland’s most popular county. 14 percent cited The Ring of Kerry as the most popular with six percent citing Killarney National Park.

There’s also good news on the staycation front with an increase in people opting to holiday at home. Over 53 percent surveyed chose Ireland as their main getaway in 2017, which is in contrast to 19 percent in 2016. Kerry also ranks favourably as a destination among staycationers with 13 percent choosing the county, making Kerry the third most popular after Dublin and Galway.

Additional findings show that nationally, 27 percent of tourists came from the UK; Americans accounted for 13 percent, with Italians next in line at 12 percent. The majority (59 percent) said they had visited Ireland previously, but 41 percent were making their first visit to the country.

There was also good news for Airbnb with 93 percent of tourists saying it was good value for money. The survey also found that 97 percent of tourists enjoyed exploring Ireland by car and the freedom it provided.

Commenting on the results of the survey, Europcar Ireland Managing Director Colm Menton said, “We are delighted to launch the results of the third annual Europcar Ireland Tourism Index and share our insights into current tourist attitudes and trends in Ireland.”