The number of UAE visitors to Ireland have been increasing significantly, up 17 per cent over the last eight months, following the announcement of visa-free travel for UAE citizens to the Emerald Isle in January this year.

Enda Corneille, Ireland country manager with Emirates, confirmed the jump in visitor numbers, saying: “Nothing else has changed, so I can only put it down to the visa exemption. Business class alone has increased by 28 per cent over the last eight months. This is very encouraging and possibly illustrates the economic benefit of the new visa regime."

The removal of visa requirements was a historic step to further facilitate Ireland’s growing trade, tourism and business relationships with the UAE. Ireland is an attractive and highly accessible destination for Emirati travellers and their families, as the two countries share many common values.

The GCC region is also the fastest growing market for the island of Ireland, witnessing a remarkable growth year-on-year.

Niall Gibbons, chief executive of Tourism Ireland, said: “The introduction of visa-free travel for UAE nationals to Ireland was a milestone for both the UAE and the Irish governments. This further strengthened the already positive relationship between the two nations and provided a welcome opportunity for UAE nationals to discover the culture, landscape and history of Ireland. We are delighted to see the increase in the number of travellers from the UAE to Ireland since January, when visa-free travel was introduced. We are confident that this figure will continue to grow and we look forward to welcoming many more UAE nationals to our country." - TradeArabia News Service