Guinness Storehouse: Ireland's No.1 International Visitor Attraction

Guinness Storehouse celebrates a record breaking year as Ireland's No.1 international visitor attraction receiving 1,087,209 visitors in 2012.

This week, the Guinness Storehouse announced that 2012 was a record breaking year for the number of visitors that it catered to. In 2012, 1,087,209 guests passed through their doors, smashing the previously held record of 1,038,910 in 2008. This represents a 6% increase on 2011 visitor numbers and sees the popular visitor attraction retaining its position as Ireland’s number 1 international visitor attraction.

The Guinness Storehouse is also celebrating its status as one of the largest brand visitor attractions in the world having welcomed visitors from over 25 different countries. However, it wasn't just your ordinary Joe, Franc or Mario who visited the Storehouse in 2012. The attraction was also enjoyed by high profile guests such as the Ellen DeGeneres Show and Conan O’Brien, both of whom recorded segments for their respective US TV shows as well as actor Kellan Lutz (Twilight), musician Example and Fun Loving Criminals.

Paul Carty, Managing Director of Guinness Storehouse commented, “2012 was a very exciting and busy year for us at the ‘Home of Guinness’. Not only did we welcome record-breaking visitors through our doors, including some high profile guests and media, we also unveiled a number of innovative and engaging new experiences as part of our three year €10m investment plan. Over the past number of years, Irish tourism has been hit by the global economic recession. However, it’s heartening to see the numbers increase and with the spotlight on Ireland this year for The Gathering, I believe we can look forward to another successful year in 2013.”

Alex Connolly, Head of Communications with Fáilte Ireland commended the Guinness Storehouse on their performance, adding “along with festivals and events, attractions like the Guinness Storehouse are an integral part of the exciting mixture of things for visitors to see and do in Ireland. Fáilte Ireland is putting its full weight behind its Gathering initiative in 2013 and that should ensure even more visitors this year to places like the Storehouse and to attractions all around the country”.

93% of all visitors to the Guinness Storehouse are from overseas. Visitors from the USA, GB, Rest of Europe, Italy and Germany were the top 5 ranking nationalities in 2012 with USA +12%, Italy +15% and Germany +14% compared to 2011. The busiest month of the year was August with 121,182 visitors, making it the busiest month on record at the Storehouse.

Earlier this year, the first phase of the €10million investment in the popular attraction was unveiled with the opening of the new ‘Global’ 4th Floor, which houses a range of interactive exhibits that tell the story of how Guinness is enjoyed and celebrated around the world. This investment continues through the next two years. In 2013, the Guinness Storehouse will develop a new Guinness Taste Experience, an interactive room telling the Arthur Guinness Story and also invest in a new look Flagship Retail Store.