CSO denies declining tourism numbers 'at odds' with industry data

In both January and February, CSO data has pointed to sharp falls in tourism numbers compared to the same months in 2024.

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has robustly defended its tourism figures, despite claims its numbers are “at odds” with the situation on the ground.

In both January and February, CSO data has pointed to sharp falls in tourism numbers compared to the same months in 2024 prompting concerns that Irish industries reliant on tourism are facing a sharp downturn.

In February 2025, its data suggested that just over 304,000 foreign visitors made a trip to Ireland. This was 30% down from the 433,300 that came in February 2024.

However, this data has been questioned by groups such as Tourism Ireland and the Restaurants Association of Ireland with the former commenting that industry data showed that hotel occupancy had risen rather than fallen.

In a statement posted on its website, the CSO said it was “confident” in the trends reported, with its data collected “according to a consistent and robust methodology which has been independently reviewed”.

“In February 2025, the estimated number of visitors from North America (USA and Canada) and from mainland Europe (Europe excluding the United Kingdom) were down by more than 30%,” it said. 

“The number of visitors from Great Britain fell by just under a quarter (24%).

“January and February 2024 had a higher than usual rate of tourist numbers which means the falls noted in 2025 are against this relatively high base. What we can see from the data is this downward trend started in September 2024 and the decline has been steadily growing since then through the shoulder and low seasons.” 

Speaking to the Business Post earlier this week, Irish Tourism Industry Confederation chief executive Eoghan O’Mara Walsh described the double digit fall as “strange” and “at odds” with what his members are saying.

He added that he was seeking a meeting with the CSO to discuss the matter.

The CSO added that it welcomes industry feedback and routinely meets with stakeholders, and was open to further engagement with the industry looking at their data to help interpret the trends it is seeing.

The drop in tourism numbers reported has also been highlighted by the aviation industry as it continues to rail against the Dublin Airport passenger cap, the future of which remains in the planning process at present.

“Ireland’s tourism industry is suffering a slump, and the only way out of this is slump is to scrap the cap at Dublin Airport,” Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary said.