Irish holidaymakers cruising to new destinations

While Spain, France, and Portugal continue to be top destinations for Irish people, cruise holidays are growing in popularity, according to travel agent Click&Go

The popularity of cruise holidays has increased in recent years, and is expected to continue being a favourite for holidaymakers out of Ireland and worldwide.

According to a recent survey by Click&Go Holidays, rising costs remain the single biggest factor influencing travel decisions for 68% of respondents. 

The company’s Q2 Travel Sentiment survey found geopolitical conflicts and global instability are additional considerations on holiday choices for 38%. 

Click&Go chief executive Paul Hackett said Irish people were becoming increasingly strategic about when they book and how they manage their travel budget. 

“While the recent spell of good weather has seen a slowdown in late booking for travel in the next few weeks, the focus on booking from September onwards speaks to the fact that Irish consumers know the good weather is unlikely to last indefinitely. 

"September is shaping up to be a particularly busy booking period, as many consumers continue to monitor prices and look for the best value before committing.”

Previous research by Click&Go found sun holidays were the most popular type booked for 2025, followed by cruises and city breaks. The online travel company’s surveys found 89% of Irish people took at least one holiday last summer, with 59% having taken two to three trips. 

Mr Hackett, who is also vice-president of the Irish Travel Agents Association, says the top destinations are always those with the largest flight and ferry capacity — Spain, France, Portugal, Italy and Greece. 

“In addition, the USA, with over 20 direct gateways from Ireland, is performing very well in spite of a strong dollar.” 

Holiday booking tips

As to the best holiday booking tips, he advises being flexible on destination and departure dates. “Travelling out on a Tuesday will always be cheaper than a Friday or Saturday. For city breaks, start them on a Saturday and it will be cheaper than travelling out on a Friday.” 

Using an Irish-based travel agent who is a member of the Irish Travel Agents Association is also an advantage: “They have access to more offers and suppliers, which will save time and money, plus you get the convenience of getting all elements of the holiday booked in one place. 

Additionally, you get all the financial security and consumer protection that comes with booking a holiday package.

The popularity of cruise holidays has increased in recent years, and is expected to continue being a favourite for holidaymakers out of Ireland and worldwide. As one of the fastest-growing sectors globally, cruising is expected to grow by 11% from 2022 to 2028. 

“The cruise lines are amazing in terms of understanding their consumer,” he says. “From the young child to the teenager, to the person in their 30s and 40s, to the parents and the grandparents — the whole multigenerational piece.

"For us it means we can go on a holiday together that ticks all the boxes for everybody, from the 11-year-old to the 89-year-old.” 

Click&Go started selling cruise holidays in 2015, and since then has become the number one cruise agent in volume terms. “The big thing about cruising is that consumers want to talk to a travel company when they’re booking,” he says. 

Relative to some other countries, we are cruise novices. In Ireland, we only take one third of the cruise holidays they take in the UK.

Industry data from organisations like the Cruise Lines International Association and major operators reveal total Irish cruise passenger numbers have climbed steadily from 43,000 to an estimated 65,000 travellers annually. 

Cruise lines have boosted logistics, expanding their ‘Fly & Cruise’ seat capacities directly from Ireland by 20% to connect passengers to Mediterranean hubs. 

Operators such as Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas and Celebrity River Cruises have announced enhanced 2027 programmes, specialty itineraries and pre-post stays, providing more options for Irish travellers and agents.