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Irish are the most Globe-trotting nation in the World

Written by Robert McHugh, on 18th Aug 2017. Posted in Ireland

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The Irish and Australians are the most travelled nations in the world, according to a new study from Hostel World.

Hostelworld has measured the number of bookings for overseas and staycation accommodation in more than 170 countries since 2014. The figures show that people living in Ireland have travelled the most when factoring in the size of the country’s population.

Australia and New Zealand are in second and third place, followed by England in fourth and Canada in fifth. People from the Netherlands, Switzerland, Scotland, Sweden and Denmark make up the remainder of the top 10 most travelled.

Whilst Irish people make the most bookings per capita, Australians are the most travelled globally. Irish bookers were most likely to stay home with Dublin, Galway, Cork and Belfast all making their top 10 bookings, whilst Australians would rather visit London, Amsterdam, Berlin and Barcelona.

London was the most popular destination visited by the most travelled nations, coming top of the list in seven out of the top 10 countries. European destinations also tend to receive the most bookings, making up seven of the top ten. Spain has welcomed the most visitors overall since 2014, followed by Italy, the USA, England, and Germany. Australia, Thailand, Ireland, France and the Netherlands round out the Top 10.

Commenting on the report, Global Head of Brand at Hostelworld, Marek Mossakowski said, "Every day thousands of travellers from all over the world are booking their next adventure and it’s always interesting to see which nationalities are the most intrepid. No matter how well travelled your nation, at Hostelworld we encourage everyone to get out there and meet the world."

Top 20 most travelled nations (weighted against population size)
1. Ireland
2. Australia
3. New Zealand
4. England
5. Canada
6. Netherlands
7. Switzerland
8. Scotland
9. Sweden
10. Denmark
11. Finland
12. Wales
13. German
14. Norway
15. Slovenia
16. North Ireland
17. Hong Kong
18. Belgium
19. France
20. Belgium

Top 20 most travelled nations (based on booking volume alone, not weighted against population size)

1. USA
2. England
3. Germany
4. Australia
5. Canada
6. France
7. Brazil
8. South Korea
9. Netherlands
10. Spain
11. Italy
12. Ireland
13. Argentina
14. Mexico
15. China
16. New Zealand
17. Switzerland
18. Sweden
19. India
20. Scotland