| Table NI20.1 Overnight Trips, Number of Nights and Expenditure (£)(1,2) of External Visitors in Northern Ireland, 2011-2017 | ||||||||
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | % Change | |
| Overnight trips | 1,931,626 | 2,006,436 | 2,089,271 | 2,178,520 | 2,301,402 | 2,586,708 | 2,657,887 | 3% |
| Number of nights | 9,991,915 | 9,951,585 | 9,816,905 | 10,033,133 | 10,680,185 | 11,360,635 | 11,645,693 | 3% |
| Expenditure (£) | 462,966,596 | 485,300,827 | 523,642,699 | 507,291,498 | 544,712,096 | 613,203,430 | 656,626,133 | 7% |
| 1 All surveys are based on sample surveys and therefore have an associated degree of sampling error. Information on confidence intervals where these are available and sample sizes are provided in the background notes. | ||||||||
| 2 Figures derived from the Northern Ireland Passenger Survey (NIPS) conducted by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), the Survey of Overseas Travellers (SOT) conducted on behalf of Fáilte Ireland, and the Household Travel Survey (HTS) conducted by Central Statistics Office (CSO). | ||||||||
| Note: 2016 figures for HTS (Republic of Ireland data) was revised in 2017 due to a revision in the weighting methodology. This revision was investigated and caused minimal change (<1%) | ||||||||
| Source: NISRA | ||||||||
| Table NI20.2 Number of Overnight Trips(1,2) in Northern Ireland (external visitors) by Reason for Visit, 2011-2017 | ||||||||
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | % Change | |
| Holiday | 531,344 | 649,009 | 638,760 | 708,039 | 729,876 | 843,505 | 945,999 | 12% |
| Visiting friends/relatives | 983,741 | 930,801 | 1,044,074 | 1,085,882 | 1,115,317 | 1,304,611 | 1,269,610 | -3% |
| Business | 304,871 | 305,258 | 321,995 | 301,929 | 356,662 | 342,286 | 343,998 | 1% |
| Other | 111,670 | 121,367 | 84,442 | 82,669 | 99,547 | 96,307 | 98,280 | 2% |
| Total overnight trips | 1,931,626 | 2,006,436 | 2,089,271 | 2,178,520 | 2,301,402 | 2,586,708 | 2,657,887 | 3% |
| 1All surveys are based on sample surveys and therefore have an associated degree of sampling error. Information on confidence intervals where these are available and sample sizes are provided in the background notes. | ||||||||
| 2Figures derived from the Northern Ireland Passenger Survey (NIPS) conducted by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), the Survey of Overseas Travellers (SOT) conducted on behalf of Fáilte Ireland, and the Household Travel Survey (HTS) conducted by Central Statistics Office (CSO). | ||||||||
| Note: 2016 figures for HTS (Republic of Ireland data) was revised in 2017 due to a revision in the weighting methodology. This revision was investigated and caused minimal change (<1%) | ||||||||
| Source: NISRA | ||||||||
| Table NI20.3 Overnight trips taken by NI residents - All Destinations, 2011-2017 | ||||||||
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | % Change (2016-2017) | |
| Overall trips | ||||||||
| Northern Ireland | 2,036,136 | 2,018,069 | 1,980,170 | 2,334,627 | 2,230,216 | 1,984,392 | 2,193,428 | +11 |
| Republic of Ireland | 1,419,847 | 1,298,517 | 1,571,528 | 1,708,423 | 1,491,605 | 1,358,240 | 1,314,785 | -3 |
| Great Britain | 1,270,323 | 1,300,456 | 1,115,207 | 1,097,145 | 983,835 | 1,069,344 | 959,585 | -10 |
| Other overseas | 874,050 | 794,904 | 956,579 | 996,332 | 1,162,884 | 1,339,408 | 1,411,416 | +5 |
| Total | 5,600,355 | 5,411,946 | 5,623,483 | 6,136,526 | 5,868,540 | 5,751,385 | 5,879,215 | +2 |
| Overall nights | ||||||||
| Northern Ireland | 4,698,082 | 3,906,178 | 4,576,930 | 5,049,238 | 4,790,584 | 3,814,196 | 5,220,435 | +37 |
| Republic of Ireland | 3,611,759 | 3,401,167 | 3,665,007 | 4,451,198 | 3,958,254 | 3,330,404 | 3,085,255 | -7 |
| Great Britain | 4,277,466 | 5,262,517 | 3,780,870 | 3,964,872 | 3,253,506 | 3,941,893 | 3,524,482 | -11 |
| Other overseas | 8,461,123 | 6,718,281 | 8,710,146 | 8,537,902 | 10,562,390 | 13,324,607 | 12,682,709 | -5 |
| Total | 21,048,430 | 19,288,143 | 20,732,953 | 22,003,211 | 22,564,734 | 24,411,099 | 24,512,881 | 0 |
| 1) Great Britain (GB) includes the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man | ||||||||
| 2) Total may not sum due to rounding | ||||||||
| 3) The estimates may be subject to revision due to improvements to the survey/analysis methodology or the inclusion of data returned after the publication date. | ||||||||
| Source: CHS NISRA | ||||||||
| Table NI21.1 Motor Vehicles Registered for First Time in Northern Ireland by Body Type | |||
| Year | |||
| Body type | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
| Private cars | 58,874 | 58,523 | 55,000 |
| Buses | 308 | 200 | 310 |
| Light goods | 7,278 | 7,891 | 7,173 |
| Heavy goods | 1,227 | 1,465 | 1,258 |
| Agricultural 1 | 817 | 930 | 915 |
| Motorcycles 2 | 1,654 | 1,865 | 1,764 |
| Other | 371 | 488 | 453 |
| Total | 70,529 | 71,362 | 66,873 |
| 1Agricultural vehicles includes tractors. | |||
| 2This category of vehicle body type also includes Mopeds and Scooters. | |||
| Source: Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) / UK Department for Transport | |||
| Table NI21.2 Motor Vehicles Registered for First Time by County of Residence of Licensed Owner (Northern Ireland) | |||
| Year | |||
| County | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
| Antrim | 30,528 | 30,879 | 29,291 |
| Armagh | 5,964 | 6,230 | 5,723 |
| Down | 19,486 | 19,431 | 18,018 |
| Fermanagh | 2,280 | 2,182 | 1,758 |
| Londonderry | 6,675 | 6,952 | 6,682 |
| Tyrone | 5,596 | 5,688 | 5,401 |
| Total | 70,529 | 71,362 | 66,873 |
| Source: Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) / Department for Transport UK | |||
| Table NI21.3 Number of road users killed or seriously injured in Northern Ireland by County, 2015-2017 | ||||
| Killed1 | Seriously injured2 | KSIs | ||
| 2015 | ||||
| Antrim | 26 | 243 | 269 | |
| Armagh | 6 | 91 | 97 | |
| Down | 20 | 197 | 217 | |
| Fermanagh | 6 | 25 | 31 | |
| Londonderry | 7 | 86 | 93 | |
| Tyrone | 9 | 69 | 78 | |
| N Ireland | 74 | 711 | 785 | |
| 2016 | ||||
| Antrim | 18 | 287 | 305 | |
| Armagh | 10 | 99 | 109 | |
| Down | 15 | 213 | 228 | |
| Fermanagh | 7 | 45 | 52 | |
| Londonderry | 9 | 100 | 109 | |
| Tyrone | 9 | 84 | 93 | |
| N Ireland | 68 | 828 | 896 | |
| 2017 | ||||
| Antrim | 15 | 276 | 291 | |
| Armagh | 6 | 85 | 91 | |
| Down | 24 | 221 | 245 | |
| Fermanagh | 6 | 35 | 41 | |
| Londonderry | 6 | 80 | 86 | |
| Tyrone | 6 | 81 | 87 | |
| N Ireland | 63 | 778 | 841 | |
| 1The number of people who died within 30 days from injuries received in a collision on a public highway in Northern Ireland. Confirmed suicides and any person who dies from natural causes (eg. heart attack) which are not as a result of the collision are excluded. | ||||
| 2A serious injury is defined as an injury for which a person is detained in hospital as an ‘in-patient’, or any of the following injuries whether or not the person is detained in hospital: fractures, concussion, internal injuries, crushing’s, burns, severe cuts and lacerations or severe general shock requiring medical treatment. | ||||
| Source: Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Road Traffic Casualty Statistics | ||||
| Table NI21.4 Key indicators for transport of goods by road, 2008 - 2017 | ||||||||||
| Journeys1 within the island of Ireland by NI-registered HGVs | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
| Tonnes carried2 (thousand) | 77,377 | 65,298 | 60,994 | 55194r | 63216r | 54487r | 50828r | 49538r | 41739r | 45,598 |
| Tonne-kilometres3 (million) | 3,873 | 3,528 | 3,287 | 3499r | 3810r | 3385r | 3316r | 3223r | 3039r | 3,430 |
| Vehicle kilometres (million) | 628 | 559 | 534 | 540 | 567 | 512 | 490 | 456 | 432 | 429 |
| Average number4 of HGVs5 | 20,164 | 20,065 | 20,501 | 20,887 | ||||||
| Laden6 journeys (thousand) | 7,218 | 5,856 | 5,895 | 5,812 | 6,116 | 5,634 | 4,533 | 4,414 | 3,332 | 3,207 |
| 1Figures for journeys by NI registered HGVs, where both the origin and destination are either in Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland. | ||||||||||
| 2Tonnes carried: the weight of goods carried, measured in tonnes. | ||||||||||
| 3Tonne-kilometres: the weight of goods carried, multiplied by the distance hauled, measured in tonne kilometres. | ||||||||||
| 4The number of HGVs taxed as 'goods vehicles' are sourced from DfT vehicle statistics table VEH0521. | ||||||||||
| 5A heavy goods vehicle (HGV) is defined as a vehicle with a gross vehicle weight (weight of vehicle plus carrying capcity) of over 3.5 tonnes. | ||||||||||
| 6Laden: defined as carrying any non-zero amount of tonnes. | ||||||||||
| r=revised. The data provided has been revised since the last submission of data. These revisions are of a consequence of a review carried out by DfT regarding part of the methodology used to produce domestic estimates. More details can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/692148/road-freight-stats-july-2016-to-june-2017.pdf | ||||||||||
| Source: Continuing Survey of Road Goods Transport Northern Ireland (CSRGT-NI), Department for Transport | ||||||||||
NI registered HGVs carried 45.6 million tonnes of goods on 3.2 million laden journeys in Ireland in 2017 and the amount of freight activity, as measured by tonnes-kilometres, was 3.4 billion.
The average number of registered goods vehicles in Northern Ireland was an estimated 20,887 in 2017 and these vehicles travelled a total of 429 million kilometres.
| Table NI21.5 Statistics of port traffic - number of vessel arrivals, tonnage of goods handled by type of cargo and area of trade | ||||||||
| Category of traffic | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
| NI Major Ports1 | ||||||||
| Number of vessels by type | ||||||||
| Tankers | 496 | 579 | 437 | 474 | 476 | 543 | 552 | 572 |
| Ro-Ro vessels | 8,596 | 7,717 | 7,250 | 6,780 | 6,786 | 6,651 | 6,550 | 6,538 |
| Fully cellular container vessels | 323 | 323 | 300 | 319 | 459 | 431 | 357 | 271 |
| Other dry cargo vessels | 2,187 | 2,224 | 2,376 | 2,629 | 2,499 | 2,701 | 2,791 | 2,626 |
| Passenger vessels | 43 | 38 | 56 | 65 | 68 | 75 | 100 | 116 |
| Other vessels | 62 | 100 | 31 | 14 | 18 | 53 | 58 | 86 |
| Total number of vessels | 11,707 | 10,981 | 10,450 | 10,281 | 10,306 | 10,454 | 10,408 | 10,209 |
| Tonnage of goods by type of cargo ('000) | ||||||||
| Roll-on/roll-off traffic | 10,996 | 11,708 | 11,030 | 10,129 | 9,758 | 10,224 | 11,442 | 11,903 |
| Lift-on/lift-off traffic | 1,693 | 1,834 | 1,887 | 1,830 | 1,976 | 1,997 | 1,948 | 1,915 |
| Liquid bulk | 3,205 | 2,777 | 2,903 | 2,896 | 2,771 | 3,014 | 2,959 | 2,917 |
| Dry bulk | 5,897 | 5,850 | 6,884 | 9,299 | 9,542 | 8,844 | 9,002 | 8,973 |
| Break bulk and all other goods | 518 | 576 | 522 | 695 | 778 | 754 | 834 | 1,112 |
| Total tonnage of goods handled | 22,308 | 22,745 | 23,226 | 24,850 | 24,826 | 24,833 | 26,184 | 26,820 |
| Tonnage of goods by area of trade ('000) | ||||||||
| Coastal trade 2 | 25 | 32 | 36 | 122 | 43 | 16 | 53 | 151 |
| European Union | 4,134 | 4,002 | 4,575 | 5,148 | 4,474 | 4,568 | 4,697 | 4,870 |
| Great Britain 3 | 15,818 | 16,086 | 15,765 | 16,046 | 16,167 | 17,096 | 18,237 | 18,141 |
| Non-EU Europe | 798 | 1,124 | 1,299 | 1,625 | 2,225 | 1,713 | 1,639 | 1,520 |
| Other ports (Rest of World) | 1,532 | 1,500 | 1,551 | 1,908 | 1,918 | 1,439 | 1,558 | 2,138 |
| Total tonnage of goods handled | 22,308 | 22,745 | 23,226 | 24,850 | 24,826 | 24,833 | 26,184 | 26,820 |
| 1Includes Belfast, Kilroot Power Station Jetty, Larne, Londonderry and Warrenpoint. | ||||||||
| 2Includes 'one port' traffic, as well as traffic with the Isle of Man. | ||||||||
| 3Traffic between Northern Ireland ports, and ports in England, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, or the Channel Islands. | ||||||||
| Source: DfT Port Freight Statistics | ||||||||
In 2017, a total of 10,209 vessels arrived at Northern Irish ports, a decrease of 1.9% on 2016. Roll-on/roll-off vessels accounted for almost two thirds (64%) of total arrivals.
| Table NI21.6 Key indicators for the three main airports | ||||||||||
| Category of traffic | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
| Belfast International | ||||||||||
| Passengers1 | 5,222,839 | 4,536,498 | 4,010,972 | 4,101,914 | 4,312,441 | 4,022,469 | 4,031,685 | 4,389,861 | 5,147,399 | 5,836,735 |
| Freight (tonnes)2 | 36,115 | 29,804 | 29,716 | 31,062 | 29,095 | 29,228 | 30,073 | 30,389 | 32,300 | 30,693 |
| Commercial flights3 | 53,631 | 44,060 | 39,230 | 37,308 | 39,120 | 36,596 | 34,795 | 36,273 | 38,104 | 41,692 |
| George Best Belfast City | ||||||||||
| Passengers1 | 2,570,741 | 2,621,733 | 2,740,304r | 2,397,270 | 2,246,202 | 2,541,703r | 2,555,111 | 2,692,713 | 2,665,139r | 2,559,846 |
| Freight (tonnes)2 | 168 | 138 | 155 | 457 | 581 | 527 | 491 | 551 | 476 | 317 |
| Commercial flights3 | 40,205 | 37,604 | 38,701 | 40,556 | 35,921 | 36,865 | 36,052 | 40,571 | 41,546 | 36,891 |
| City of Derry | ||||||||||
| Passengers1 | 438,996 | 345,857 | 338,505 | 405,568 | 398,209 | 384,973 | 350,257 | 284,482 | 290,671 | 193,981 |
| Freight (tonnes)2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Commercial flights3 | 5,823 | 4,185 | 3,848 | 3,839 | 3,114 | 3,011 | 2,537 | 1,927 | 1,856 | 1,911 |
| 1Scheduled and chartered terminal passenger traffic. Excludes air taxi operations. | ||||||||||
| 2Freight figures only. Mail is not included. | ||||||||||
| 3Air transport movements (landings and takeoffs). | ||||||||||
| r=revised. | ||||||||||
| Source: CAA Statistics | ||||||||||
During 2017, 8.59 million terminal passengers passed through Northern Ireland airports, 6% higher than the 2016 figure (8.10 million).
In 2017, 31,010 tonnes of freight were handled at Northern Ireland airports, a decrease of 5% from 2016 (32,776 tonnes).
There were 80,494 air transport movements (landings and takeoffs) during 2017, a decrease of 1% from the 2016 figure of 81,506.
Between 2016 and 2017, air transport movements at Belfast International airport increased by 9%, George Best Belfast City airport decreased by 11% and City of Derry airport increased by 3%.
In 2017, Belfast International airport accounted for 52% of all air transport movements, George Best Belfast City airport 46% and City of Derry airport 2%.
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