The Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) has questioned the accuracy of latest Central Statistics Office (CSO) inbound travel figures, saying the data does not match what is being reported by its members.
As a result, the IHF has been meeting with CSO to gain more clarity on the research.
Monthly CSO figures, for March, show 15% year-on-year drop in inbound visitors to 441,200; with the combined visitor spend down 22% on the same month last year at €326m.
IHF Chief Executive, Paul Gallagher, said: “The latest industry figures show that hotels achieved average room occupancies in March on a par with the same month last year while bookings for the first quarter were up 2% year on year. From an industry perspective, this would suggest that overall tourism activity is holding up so far in 2025, which is at odds with what the CSO figures would appear to be indicating.
“This is a concern given how vital it is to have as complete a picture as possible for how tourism, our largest indigenous industry, is performing. Along with industry partners, we have met with representatives of the CSO to explore the figures in the context of wider industry data, and we look forward to further engagement on this matter.”
Bed nights were down by 8%, year-on-year, in March, the CSO said, while the largest contingent of visitors came from Britain, followed by the US.
“In a given year, the first quarter would typically account for approximately 20% of overseas visitors to Ireland and a corresponding proportion of total hotel stays – made up of both domestic and overseas guests. Commenting on the outlook for the rest of the year, Mr Gallagher says: “While industry figures show a positive start to the year, we are beginning to see a slight softening in the market with forward bookings currently down 2% out to August. We are hopeful that this will pick up into the summer.
“We are, however, very alert to various headwinds facing our sector, including the impact of global political and economic uncertainty which we continue to monitor closely. This is in the broader context of a very high-cost base within the Irish economy, restrictions at Dublin Airport, falling consumer sentiment and financial pressures in key source markets – all of which are weighing on our sector and the wider tourism industry.”
