TravelWise statistics
Teacher instruction: Irish people are travelling more often than ever before. The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has calculated that Irish people took over twelve million overnight trips abroad in 2023.
In the following activity, students will examine statistics on the types of problems that can occur when travelling abroad, and discuss together those that may impact them.
At the end of every year, the Minister for Foreign Affairs provides information on the range of consular assistance the Department provides to Irish citizens abroad.
Last year, the Department dealt with over 2,000 consular cases. The most common type of cases were:
| Type of consular case | Number of cases |
|---|---|
| Deaths Abroad | 381 |
| Medical | 296 |
| Evacuations from Sudan | 280 |
| General Queries | 229 |
| Arrests | 191 |
| Welfare | 189 |
| Victims of Crime* | 136 |
| Mental Health | 78 |
| Missing Persons | 77 |
| Evacuations from Gaza | 57 |
| Prisoners | 37 |
| Deportations | 36 |
| Child Welfare | 27 |
| Child Abductions | 10 |
| Repatriation (Welfare) | 10 |
| Advance of Funds | 6 |
| Transfer from Crisis | 2 |
| COVID-19 related assistance | 1 |
*Crime refers to cases including theft/mugging, rape and sexual assault, fraud, extortion. More information can be found on the Victim of Crime page.
Project these figures onto the board and then set the students into pairs or small groups to discuss the following questions:
a) How many of the cases listed do you think could affect people of your own age when abroad?
b) Discuss which three might be most relevant to your peer group and why?
c) Do you think there is any way to prevent these incidents taking place during a holiday?
Activity Extension - Want to learn more?
The lesson can be further extended here with an additional activity.
Students can also be asked if they are familiar with the Department’s youth travel advice campaign, Make the Right Memories, in this section. The campaign launched in May 2024 and focused on simple actions that can help prevent accidents abroad. These actions are:
- Keep your phone charged to share live locations, especially on nights out.
- Stay in touch with the people you are travelling with, and with family in Ireland.
- Keep an eye on your drinks in clubs or bars.
- Take a picture of key travel documents like your passport or flight itinerary to keep on your phone.
- Be sure to swim only in designated areas, and when it is safe to do so.
Having viewed the campaign videos, students can be asked the following:
- Do you think the campaign messages/travel tips will have an impact?
- Are the tips presented in the campaign actions you take regularly?
- Are there other actions you think the campaign should have included?