CSO figures that show a sharp decline in tourism 'don't reflect' industry sentiment on the ground

The number of US tourists visiting Ireland dropped 18% in March, continuing a steady transatlantic tourism downturn since January

The first three months of this year has seen a 23% drop in the number of tourists compared to the same period in 2024. 

Tourism trade bodies have said that the significant decline in inbound tourism figures reported by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) doesn't reflect the sentiment from companies on the ground.

CSO data published on Wednesday showed that the number of visitors to Ireland declined by 15% during March to 441,200, compared to the same period last year. This continues the downward year-on-year trend in foreign visitor numbers first observed in September 2024.