The Cliffs of Moher beat out Dublin Zoo to be Ireland’s second most visited tourist attraction in 2017 as the Guinness Storehouse continues to reign supreme.
The Cliffs of Moher in County Clare received 1,526,440 visitors in 2017, a 7% increase that equates to almost 100,000 people more than the previous year.
Meanwhile, Dublin Zoo dropped into third place despite exceeding the 1 million visitor mark for the seventh year. The zoo received 35,000 less visitors in 2017 than in 2016.
A spokeswoman for Dublin Zoo told the Clare Herald.: “Over the course of the twelve-month period, Dublin Zoo welcomed 1,108,728 visitors through its gates. Exceeding the one million mark for the seventh year running, the 2017 footfall figure confirms Dublin Zoo as Ireland’s most popular family attraction.”
Coming up just behind the zoo was the National Aquatic Centre in Dublin, which continues to grow its visitor figures. Last year it saw an increase of almost 62,000 visitors taking its overall figure to 1,099,756 just 9,000 less than Dublin Zoo.
The Guinness Storehouse continues to hold the top spot with 1.7 million guests passing through its doors in 2017. Since opening in 2000 the attraction has welcomed almost 18 million visitors.
The success of the storehouse could be one of the reasons why its owner Diageo is investing heavily in brewery and distillery visitor experiences around the world. Earlier this month, the company announced plans to open a Johnnie Walker immersive visitor experience in Edinburgh as part of a £150m ($215m) investment to transform its Scotch whisky visitor experiences.
Cliffs of Moher still beating Dublin Zoo for visitor numbers
