Of the 433,300 foreign visitors who departed Ireland on overseas routes in February 2024, 45.9% of the visitors were from Great Britain, 10.8% were from the United States, and 6.5% were from Spain/Portugal.
The visitors' most frequent reason (36.5%) for travelling to Ireland was for visiting family & friends.
The visitors stayed a total of 2,669,000 nights in the country.
The total estimated expenditure of foreign visitors on their trips to Ireland was €374.4 million.
The visitors stayed on average 6.2 nights and spent on average €864 on their trips.
The Inbound Tourism series is a new statistical series based on an updated sampling methodology and data collection process. For more information, including an update on the implementation of the new series, see Background Notes for more details.
Foreign visitors in the context of this release refers to overseas residents who have stayed at least one night in Ireland. These overseas residents include both Irish and non-Irish nationals but specifically exclude residents of Northern Ireland.
In total, 1,288,500 passengers departed Ireland on overseas routes in February 2024. The majority of these (59.1%) were Irish residents heading outbound for tourism or other purposes. A further 7.3% were same day visitors, comprising Northern Ireland residents heading outbound via an airport or seaport in the Republic of Ireland (3.7%), foreign resident transfer passengers (2.1%), or other foreign resident same day visitors (1.5%). Some 33.6% of the departing passengers were foreign resident overnight visitors, constituting 433,300 visitors in total. The remainder of this release focuses exclusively on the characteristics and activities of these foreign resident overnight visitors (referred to simply as foreign visitors).
Of the 433,300 foreign visitors who departed Ireland on overseas routes in February 2024, the highest proportion (45.9%) was from Great Britain, accounting for 199,000 of the visitors in total. The second highest proportion (10.8%) was from the United States, accounting for 46,600 visitors. The third highest proportion (6.5%) came from Spain/Portugal comprising a further 28,100 visitors. Furthermore, 25,400 (5.9%) of the visitors came from the Benelux countries, 21,900 (5.1%) came from Germany, 21,200 (4.9%) from France, and 14,300 (3.3%) came from Italy.
Foreign visitors who departed Ireland on overseas routes in February 2024 spent a total of 2,669,000 nights in the country. Broken down by residency, Other Europe visitors spent more nights in the country than any other residency group, accounting for 1,050,900 (39.4%) of the nights. The next most important visitor group, in terms of nights spent, was Great Britain, making up 758,000 (28.4%) of the total nights. Visitors from the United States & Canada were third most important, accounting for a further 456,600 (17.1%) of the nights. Other visitors made up 403,500 (15.1%) of the nights.
Among the 433,300 foreign visitors departing Ireland on overseas routes in February 2024, more had come to visit family & friends than for any other reason. Some 158,000 (36.5%) had visiting family & friends as the main reason for their trip. The next most likely reason was for holiday or leisure, with 153,600 (35.4%) of the visitors coming for this purpose. A further 88,800 (20.5%) of the visitors had come for business or work-related reasons.
Among the 433,300 foreign visitors who departed Ireland on overseas routes in February 2024, some 204,700 (47.3%) stayed in a hotel. Another 170,200 (39.3%) of the visitors had used family or own property as their main accommodation type. A further 17,400 (4.0%) of the visitors used guest house/bed & breakfast as their main accommodation type, while 15,500 (3.6%) of the foreign visitors used self-catering rented properties as their main accommodation type.
Foreign visitors to Ireland who departed Ireland on overseas routes in February 2024 spent a total of €374.4 million on their trips.
Broken down by expense category, the costliest subheading was day-to-day spending (incidental expenditures incurred during their visit such as eating out, entrance fees, public transport, etc, but excluding accommodation), amounting to €161.6 million (43.2% of the total expenditure). The next costliest subheading was accommodation at €114.3 million (30.5% of the total). Fares cost a further €90.7 million (24.2% of the total). Lastly, prepayments (items paid in advance, such as car hire, pre-booked tickets, etc.) comprised just €7.8 million (2.1% of the total).
Overall, the typical foreign visitor spent €864 on their trip to Ireland, breaking down as €209 on their fare, €18 on prepayments, €264 on accommodation, and €373 on day-to-day expenses.
Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (28 March 2024) released Inbound Tourism February 2024.
Commenting on the release, Gregg Patrick, Statistician in the Tourism and Travel Division, said: “The results show that among the 1,288,500 passengers departing Ireland on overseas routes in February 2024, some 433,300 (33.6%) were foreign visitors completing their trips (with the balance being Irish residents heading abroad (59.1%) and foreign same-day visitors (7.3%)). Amongst the 433,300 foreign visitors, some 45.9% were from Great Britain, 10.8% were from the United States, and 6.5% were from Spain/Portugal.
Typically, their visit lasted 6.2 nights. Their most frequent reason was for visiting friends and family (36.5%). More of the visitors stayed primarily in hotels (47.3%) than in any other accommodation type, and the mean cost of their visit was €864 (comprising €209 on fare, €18 on prepayments, €264 on accommodation, and €373 on day-to-day expenditure).”