Guinness Storehouse Still Ireland's No.1

With its visitor numbers increasing by 10% in 2011, it's no surprise that The Guinness Storehouse has announced it attracted over a million (1,025,677) visitors through its doors last year. Not only does this see Guinness Storehouse retain its position as Ireland’s no.1 international visitor attraction but also as the fourth largest brand visitor attraction in the world.

Speaking at the announcement today, Managing Director, Paul Carty said: “We are delighted to announce we are still the no. 1 international visitor attraction in Ireland with over 1 million people passing through the Guinness Storehouse doors last year. Over the past number of years, the Irish tourism industry has been under severe pressure and we are proud to have played a part in enticing overseas visitors to Ireland and encouraging domestic visits too.”

Mr Carty continued “all eyes were on Ireland during the high profile state visits of US President Obama Barack Obama and Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II last May and this had a positive impact on our visitor numbers. A very successful St Patrick’s Day festival and the launch of FIVE, an entirely new experience dedicated to Guinness and Food at the Storehouse also contributed to helping us achieve our second highest footfall figures ever recorded.”

Welcoming the Guinness Storehouse figures, Alex Connolly, Head of Communications at Fáilte Ireland emphasised: “Visitor attractions play a vital part in growing both tourism revenue and visitor numbers and these figures today reflect an increase in overseas visitors last year and maybe also a royal bounce from the Queen’s visit. If we can maintain this momentum in 2012, there is every reason to believe that the Storehouse, and all our other key tourism attractions, can further increase visitor numbers this year. That will be good for tourism and great for our economy”.


Visitor Breakdowns:

• 92% of all visitors to the Guinness Storehouse are from overseas.
• Visitors from the USA, Germany, the UK, Ireland and Italy were ranked as the top five visiting nations to Guinness Storehouse.
• German visitors were up 17%
• US visitors were up 14%
• Irish visitors were up 14%
• Italian visitors were up 5%
• August was ranked as the busiest month in the history of the Storehouse with 116,021 visitors.

Guinness Storehouse Facts:

• The Guinness Storehouse is ranked the fourth largest branded visitor centre in the world after Hersheypark in Pennsylvania; Autostadt, the Audi/Volkswagen Centre in Wolfsburg, Germany; and the Coca-Cola Centre in Atlanta, Georgia.
• The Guinness Storehouse has welcomed over 9 million visitors since opening its doors in 2000
• 92% of all visitors to the GUINNES STOREHOUSE are international. The top 5 nationalities who visit the Storehouse are (1) USA (2) UK (3) ROI (4) Italy (5) Germany.
• Approximately 150 people are employed at the Guinness Storehouse
• 1 in 2 holiday-makers who visit Dublin, visit the Guinness Storehouse
• The building is 125 feet high, 170 feet long and 151 feet wide.
• It would take 14.3 million pints of Guinness to fill the giant glass atrium in centre of the Guinness Storehouse building
• Over 1.6 million visitors have tasted Guinness for their first time
• Over 400,000 visitors have learned how to pour a pint of Guinness
• Gravity Bar is the highest bar in Dublin located 44 metres off the ground