Dublin Airport announce lower numbers of tourists expected for St Patrick's Day in Ireland

Dublin Airport have announced that the number of tourists expected to travel to Ireland for St Patrick's Day is set to be lower by than recent years, due to the passenger cap in place.

They have also assured holiday makers that the gates will still be busy with people expected to travel for the long weekend and the Cheltenham Festival.

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Graeme McQueen, Media Relations Manager at DAA said:

"Between tomorrow (Wednesday) and next Tuesday, we're expecting to welcome around 400,000 passengers. The same period last year saw us welcome more than 410,000 passengers, so it’s clear that the cap is having an impact.

“Our departure gates will still be busy this week, with thousands of racing fans making the short trip to Cheltenham for the annual horse racing festival, while many others will avail of the long bank holiday weekend to enjoy a city break or spring trip overseas. Our arrivals halls will be busy too with tens of thousands of tourists arriving from all over the world to celebrate St Patrick's Day here in Ireland.“

The St Patrick's Day period is one of the pinnacles of Ireland's tourism year when many high net-worth visitors, many of them from North America and Asia, arrive here for extended breaks in Dublin and all around the country.