It's been a record-breaking year for Ireland's number one international visitor attraction, The Guinness Storehouse, as a whopping 1.7 million passed through the doors in 2018.
Located in the heart of the St. James's Gate Brewery, the Guinness Storehouse tells the story of one of Ireland’s most iconic brands, Guinness. The journey begins at the bottom of the world's largest pint glass and continues up through seven floors, including the highlight for many visitors - the famous Gravity Bar, which showcases unparalleled panoramic 360⁰ views of Dublin city. Visitors from Ireland and abroad discover what goes into making each and every pint, learn about the incredible brand history stretching over 250 years, its iconic advertising, as well as a tasting like no other.
Tourism is one of Ireland's most important economic sectors, the industry is responsible for earnings of €8.7 billion which supports 230,000 jobs. In 2018, guests from Mainland Europe made up the majority of visitors to the Guinness Storehouse, with 32% of all guests travelling from the continent. The highest year on year growth was from Italy, which increased its visitor numbers by over 31% and Germany which was up 22%. The USA continues to show strong performance making up over 30% of all visitors to the Guinness Storehouse this year.
Commenting on the visitor numbers, Paul Carty, Managing Director of the Guinness Storehouse said:
We continually re-invest in our visitor experience to meet and exceed visitors’ expectations. As well as plans to double the Gravity Bar in size by late 2019, this year the Guinness Storehouse introduced the Guinness STOUTie, a picture-perfect pint experience that features your own selfie on the pint.
"We are very proud of the success of the Guinness Storehouse over the 18 years 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.
"We are excited to begin the next chapter of the Guinness Storehouse as we’re set to welcome our 20 millionth visitor this year.”
