Number of tourist bed nights rose sharply last year but still lag pre-covid levels, new figures show
The number of guest nights in Cork last year rose by 18% to 95,475 — almost 15,000 more than in 2022 but remains about 50,000 below the 2019 peak of over 145,000. File picture: Denis Scannell.
Almost 6.5 million guest nights were booked over four of the leading online booking platforms for short-term tourist accommodation in Ireland last year.
Figures published by the European Commission show a total of 6.47 million guest nights were reserved by holidaymakers through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia, or Tripadvisor in 2023 — up 17% over the previous year.
The latest data also shows the demand for such accommodation in Ireland has surged by a further 21% in the first three months of 2024, to more than 989,000 guest nights — 153,000 more than in the corresponding period last year.
The figures, which are published by Eurostat, are the result of what is considered a landmark agreement between the European Commission and the four leading platforms providing short-term accommodation booking services. It excludes figures for other types of accommodation such as hotels or campsites.
A breakdown of the figures shows the number of guest nights in Dublin last year was up 36% to 1.49 million — almost 395,000 more than in 2022.
However, the number of guest nights in the Irish capital remains considerably below the pre-pandemic peak of 2.72 million in 2018.
The reduction is likely to be partially attributable to the requirement by Dublin City Council for short-term accommodation providers to obtain planning permission for such a use of their property, which was introduced as a measure to address the city’s housing crisis by returning some properties to the long-term rental market.
Strong growth last year was also recorded in Galway and Cork, although numbers still lag behind pre-pandemic levels.
More than 373,500 guest nights were recorded in Galway in 2023 — an annual increase of 21%, but still below the record level of over 457,000 in 2019.
Similarly, the number of guest nights in Cork last year rose by 18% to 95,475 — almost 15,000 more than in 2022 but remains about 50,000 below the 2019 peak of over 145,000.
Tourism representative groups have recently raised concerns about the proposed Short-Term Tourist Letting Bill, which will require properties for short-term letting advertised on platforms like Airbnb to be registered with Fáilte Ireland.
Such platforms will be obliged to only advertise properties that have a valid registration number from Fáilte Ireland.
It is estimated the creation of the register will move 10,700 properties from being used for tourist stays to long-term rental accommodation, with the vast majority located in rural Ireland.
Concern about the proposed legislation has been voiced by groups including the Vintners Federation of Ireland, the Restaurant Association of Ireland, and the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation.
While welcoming the establishment of a register, the groups said the legislation could cause “untold damage” to rural Ireland by closing down self-catering homes and short-term holiday lets.
“It is vital that holiday homes and short-term tourism rentals are protected in regional Ireland. They form a key part of the industry and bring economic activity to all parts of the Wild Atlantic Way, often where there are no hotels or guesthouses," said ITIC chief executive Eoghan O’Mara Walsh.
