66% of hotel bed nights sold to Irish guests this year

IRISH guests account for two out of three bed nights sold in hotels as demand from overseas visitors falls due to the recession.

According to a report from the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation (ITIC), the domestic market now accounts for a 38% share of holiday bed nights in the country, and almost two out of three hotel bed nights, generating almost one-third of Ireland’s total income from tourism.

The recession has led to a sharp decline in the demand for domestic holidays by Irish people which is unlikely to be reversed until 2012, the report states.