Guinness Storehouse, a brewery experience in Dublin, has retained its position as number 1 international visitor attraction in Ireland, welcoming over 1 million guests in 2017.
The Guinness Storehouse surpassed all previous records with footfall of 1,711,281 last year – bringing the total number of visitors to the attraction to 18 million since they opened.
The company has also commissioned a report into their impact on the economy. The report revealed that 34% of international visitors to Ireland cited the Guinness Storehouse as a reason for their visit. This translates to an economic contribution of €361.2 million over 12 months.
In 2017, 28% of visitors came from North America and 26% visited from the UK.
The report stated that overseas visitors to the Guinness Storehouse spend an average of €134 a day on other services and experiences outside of the Dublin attraction.
Paul Carty, Managing Director of the Guinness Storehouse, said: “2017 was another incredibly successful year for the Guinness Storehouse. As well as welcoming more than 1.7 million visitors through our doors we also announced details of a €16 million expansion plan which will see the iconic Gravity Bar double in size. Our aim is to position Ireland and the Guinness Storehouse as a year-round, ‘must visit’ destination and to ensure that the contribution of overseas tourism to the economy continues to expand. This year we saw a strong market diversification and visitor growth from long-haul markets in Asia Pacific. We are excited to begin the next chapter of the Guinness Storehouse and welcome even more visitors in 2018. We are very proud of the success in 2017 and of the commitment of our own team at the Guinness Storehouse and all those across the industry who work hard to promote Dublin and Ireland as a world-class destination”.
Alex Connolly, Fáilte Ireland, said: “This is another fantastic performance by the Guinness Storehouse which is a ‘must-visit’ destination for all who come to Dublin. Engaging, interactive and enjoyable attractions are the lifeblood of tourism and the Guinness Storehouse is certainly playing its part to entertain our visitors. I am particularly pleased to see that this high-performing attraction doesn’t sit on its laurels and keeps a strong focus on the customer – constantly evolving and developing what it has to offer. This bodes well for visitor numbers in the future.”
The Storehouse is Ireland’s most popular paid visitor attraction. It opened in 2000 and attracted 300,000 visitors that year.
The sleek contemporary Storehouse was set up to make people think differently about Guinness and to attract a younger following. They recently began a €16 million renovation of the rooftop Gravity Bar.
