Tourist numbers up 27% in January

Visitors spent a combined €287m during the month, excluding fares — up from €214m last year

Last month, 429,800 foreign visitors completed a trip to Ireland.

The number of tourists travelling to Ireland in January surged by 27% compared to the same period last year, continuing a recovery following a slump in 2025, new data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows.

Throughout much of 2025, monthly tourism statistics had been showing a consistent decline compared to 2024. The first half of 2025 saw a near 13% decline in overall tourism numbers, with the second half of year improving.

In December, visitor numbers were up 34% year-on-year.

Last month, 429,800 foreign visitors completed a trip to Ireland. In terms of nights spent in the country, visitors spend a total of 3.6 million nights — an increase of 27% year-on-year. The average length of stay was 8.3 nights.

Tourists spent a combined €287m during the month, excluding fares — up from €214m last year.

Visitors spent €184m on day-to-day expenditures such as eating out, entrance fees, as well as public transport. Accommodation costs were an estimated €97m, while prepayments — items paid in advance, such as car hire and pre-booked tickets — were estimated at €7m.

Visitors spend an additional €109m.

The largest share of visitors to the country came from Britain, accounting for 43% of all visitors, with visitors from continental Europe accounting for 36%, North America at 14%, and the rest of the world at 7%.

Nearly half, 46%, of all overnight foreign visitors indicated the main purpose for their trip was for visiting friends and relatives, while 30% said it was for a holiday, and 18% of visitors said it was for business purposes.

While the figures show foreign visitor numbers are up significantly year-on-year, they are still down by 5% when compared to January 2024. As a result, the average duration of stay for tourists as well as their expenditure while here is also down compared to two years ago, by 6% and 3% respectively.

In total, 1,466,200 passengers departed Ireland on overseas routes in January 2026, a 13% increase compared with January 2025. The majority of departing passengers, 62%, were Irish residents heading outbound for tourism or other purposes. A further 8% were same-day visitors, comprising Northern Ireland residents heading outbound.