American tourists flock to Ireland as visitor numbers hit new highs

Tourists from North America account for a third of all spending by visitors

Visitor numbers from North America are expected to continue to rise this summer. Picture: Damien Storan/PA

US visitors to Ireland surged in April, jumping 12% on the same month last year, with tourists showing little concern over the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

New data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows visitors from the US and Canada accounted for 21% of all foreign visitors to Ireland last month, with US residents specifically at 104,300 for the month, up from 93,200 in April 2025. 

Separate data from Failte Ireland shows visitor numbers from North America are expected to continue to rise this summer, with the level of seat capacity on flights from the US rising by 7% this year compared to 2025.

Just under two million seats from the US to Ireland will be operated this summer, that's on top of what Fáilte Ireland describes as "record high capacity growth" already achieved in summer 2025. This summer’s schedule is marked by added capacity on Aer Lingus flights and the addition of two new routes (Raleigh/Durham and Pittsburgh to Dublin).

New Aer Lingus routes from Raleigh, North Carolina and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Dublin are driving some of the increase. Average weekly flights from the US to Ireland are up 9% to 282.

US visitors to Ireland are also valued, given their spending power. 

Despite representing one in every five visitors, being only the third-largest visitor origin to Ireland by headcount, North Americans punched well above their weight on spending, accounting for more than a third of all spending, or €145m out of the total €431m in April.

Overall, some 564,600 foreign visitors completed a trip to Ireland in April, an increase of 7% when compared with April last year and up 3% on April 2024. Visitors from Great Britain accounted for the largest share at 39%, compared with Continental Europe at 36%, North America on 21%, and the Rest of the World at 4%.

41% of foreign visitors said the main purpose of their trip was for holidays, leisure and recreation purposes, with 36% visiting friends and relatives, and 15% of trips were for business reasons.

Some 249,200 (44%) stayed in a hotel as their main accommodation type. Another 222,700 (39%) of the visitors stayed in their own property or with family and 37,100 (7%) of visitors used rented or self-catering as their main accommodation.

Edward Duffy, statistician in the CSO's Tourism and Travel Division, said visitor numbers from Great Britain rose by 2%, Continental Europe by 10% and North America by 14%, while visitors from the rest of the world fell 1%.

"The visitors' expenditure in Ireland (excluding fares) was €431m in April 2026. Visitors from Continental Europe accounted for €159m (37%), North America for €145m (34%), Great Britain for €99m (23%) and visitors from the Rest of the World for €28m (7%)," he said. 

"Taken together, this represented an increase of 15% when compared with April 2025, and a rise of 3% when compared with April 2024."

Alongside the US, Failte Ireland said seat capacity this summer will rise by 5% for flights from Great Britain, while capacity from France will drop 5% and Germany will fall by 2%.