Guinness Storehouse now top attraction

TOURIST NUMBERS:THE BIRTH of a baby elephant and the enduring appeal of the black stuff contributed to the half-a-million increase in visitors to the top 10 tourist attractions last year, according to figures from Fáilte Ireland.

The Guinness Storehouse moved into the number one tourist spot last year, attracting 950,000 visitors, a 10 per cent increase on 2006.

Despite being the first year of the new €30 million visitor centre at the Cliffs of Moher, the Co Clare attraction moved off the most visited attraction spot, to second place. However, visitor numbers increased by 3 per cent last year with 940,455 visits. The birth of a female elephant at Dublin Zoo last May was one of the main reasons for an almost 20 per cent increase in visitors last year. The zoo moved up to the third most popular attraction, achieving more than 900,000 visitors. "Dublin Zoo entered a new era last year with the Kaziranga Forest Trail and the arrival of a breeding herd of elephants," Veronica Chrisp, head of marketing at the zoo, said yesterday.

Visitors to the Collins Barracks museum doubled last year, moving up more than 10 places to number 11 in the most visited tourist attractions. In 2006 the museum had 180,000 visitors compared with some 375,000 last year. The decorative arts museum exhibited the replica Viking warship, the Sea Stallion, for much of last year.

There was a big increase in visitors to the National Aquatic Centre in Blanchardstown, Dublin.

The centre, which offers an Olympic-sized pool, attracted some 560,000 people last year, an increase of 50 per cent on 2006.