Revealed: The county that less Irish people have visited than gone to Asia

More Irish people have visited Asia than Co Leitrim, according to a new survey from Airbnb.
Airbnb have announced a new Rural Tourism Fund, which will commit €100,000 in grants to support innovative tourism for communities that heavily rely on tourism.
However, a survey that was carried out by the letting app found that more people holiday abroad than go on a 'staycation' — with 74% of Irish people holidaying abroad, in comparison with 48% of respondents who said that they want to travel more around the country. More Irish people have visited Asia than Co Leitrim, a new survey has found. Pic: Shutterstock
Staggeringly, however, were the places that Irish people have visited; with 25% of the population saying that they've visited countries in Asia, which is more than those who have said that they visited Leitrim (18%) and Westmeath (24%).
Other remarkable statistics found that more people have gone to North America (39%) than Sligo (37%), Tipperary (37%) and Meath (36%), while 81% of Irish people who have gone to countries in Africa have never gone to Monaghan.
Speaking on the staggering results about her home county, comedian Katherine Lynch said that people are missing 'a lot' in the county that is the smallest by population, according to the latest census. A new Airbnb survey found that more people had travelled abroad than visited some counties, including Leitrim and Monaghan. Pic: Shutterstock
'People are missing a lot. They are missing Glencar waterfall, they've got Mohill, which is the capital of Leitrim — Carrick-on-Shannon thinks it is, but Mohill really is — and we've got Lough Rynn,' Katherine told Oliver Callan. 'And we've got great people. That's the most important thing, and we have the Leitrim Gathering soon.'
Other fun facts Katherine told Oliver about Leitrim was that they didn't get their first full set of traffic lights until 2016, 13 years after they were promised (yes, really), and that they were the last country to get full phone numbers; joking that Leitrim only having three digits saved her from getting kicked out of the Gaeltacht for speaking English.
'It's a great place,' she said. 'We have such fantastic things to see. We have Drumshanbo, the home of gin. It is the most fantastic gunpowder gin you can taste and Carrick on Shannon is a great place and Dromahair is beautiful. We've got everything.' Airbnb have announced their new Rural Tourism Fund, which will hopefully boost tourism to rural areas. Pic: John MacDougall/AFP via Getty Images
The new Airbnb survey found that 71% of bookings are made in predominantly rural areas, with the majority being outside of Dublin. Through the Rural Tourism Fund, grants from €1,000 to €10,000 will be available to local organisations and community groups to boost local tourism and bring projects to life.
'We're fortunate to have some of the world's most stunning places right here in Ireland, and it's exciting to see nearly half of Irish people eager to explore more of our own country,' Derek Nolan, Airbnb's Head of Public Policy, said.
'Airbnb plays a key role in spreading tourism across Ireland, and the Rural Tourism Fund will boost and preserve the best of rural Ireland, allowing more people to experience our culture and beauty while benefiting local communities economically.'

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