Last month saw a continuation in the slow start to the year for inbound tourism.
Latest monthly Central Statistics Office (CSO) data show that 304,300 foreign visitors took a trip to Ireland in February; down 30% on the same month in 2024.
Furthermore, visitor spend – at €196m – was down 31% year-on-year.
There was also a 33% drop in bednights, at 1.8 million and the average length of stay per overnight visitor was 5.9 nights, down from an average of 6.2 nights for the corresponding month last year.
The most frequent reason for travelling to Ireland was given as visiting family or friends and the largest contingent of visitors came from Britain (49%), and the US (10%).
“More of the visitors stayed in their own property or with family or friends (44%) than in any other accommodation type, and the typical visit lasted 5.9 nights,” noted CSO Tourism & Travel Statistician, Gregg Patrick.
