Monthly tourism figures increase for the first time in a year but visitor spending still down

About 772,800 foreign visitors completed a trip to Ireland in August, an increase of 1% compared to August last year, CSO data shows

Since September 2024, the number of tourists arriving into Ireland each month has declined when compared to the same period the year prior.

Monthly tourism figures increased during August for the first time in a year, however, the number of nights stayed and money spent by tourists has declined, new data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows.

Since September 2024, the number of tourists arriving into Ireland each month has declined when compared to the same period the year prior. The decline was more significant in the opening months of the year but smaller declines were still recorded during the peak summer months of May, June and July.

Representatives of the tourism sector have said the figures presented by the CSO do not match what they are seeing on the ground, but the CSO has stood by its data.

According to the CSO, about 772,800 foreign visitors completed a trip to Ireland in August, an increase of 1% compared to August last year.

Visitors stayed a total of 6.7 million nights in the country, which meant the average stay stood at 8.6 nights — down slightly from the 8.7 nights recorded in August last year.

The largest contingent of visitors, 36%, came from Great Britain, followed by visitors from continental Europe at 31%, and North America at 26%.

Compared with August last year, visitors from North America were up 21%, while visitors from Great Britain were up 3%, and visitors from continental Europe declined by 12%.

Foreign visitors spent a total of €743.7m, excluding fares, while on their trips during August — a decrease of 9.3% year-on-year.

The costliest category for tourists was day-to-day spending, which included items such as eating out, entrance fees, public transport, but excluding accommodation, with €391.7m spent.

The next costliest category was accommodation, with €302.4m spent. Prepayments, which includes items such as car hire and pre-booked tickets, comprised just €49.6m of tourists expenditure.

The average cost of their trips, excluding fares, last month was €962, whereas the average cost in August 2024 was €1,074.

The most frequent reason for travelling to Ireland was for holiday, cited by 48%.