Back to Top

Central Statistics Office

 Skip navigation

Show Menu  
PDF - Summary (KB)
PDF - Full (KB)
Extra information
Methodology Previous Releases
International comparison:
Eurostat
See also:
YouTube Video
For more information on this release:
E-mail: tourism@cso.ie Patsy King (+353) 21 453 5502 Margaret Power (+353) 21 453 5463
For general information on CSO statistics:
information@cso.ie (+353) 21 453 5000 On-line ISSN 2009-5376
CSO statistical release, , 11am

Household Travel Survey

Quarter 4 and Year 2017

Domestic Trips '000 Outbound Trips '000
YearYear YearYear
Reason for Journey20162017 20162017
Holiday4,8704,886 4,2444,912
Business431426 897753
Visiting Friends/Relatives3,0453,096 1,7471,730
Other1,0141,218 757776
Total9,3599,626 7,6448,171

Outbound trips rose by 6.9% in 2017

Figure 1 Number of trips by reason for journey - 2017
go to full release

Domestic Travel - 2017

  • Irish residents took more than 9.6 million domestic trips in 2017, an increase of 2.9% when compared with 2016. Each trip had an average duration of 2.7 nights, resulting in 25.5 million bed nights. See Table 1.
  • In 2017, half of all domestic trips (51%) were classified as holidays while over 3 million trips (32.2%) were to visit friends or relatives. See Table 2.
  • Total expenditure on domestic trips in 2017 amounted to €1,879 million. A total of €1,129 million of this was accounted for by those on holidays, while those visiting friends or relatives spent €353 million in 2017. See Table 2.
  • Visitors who stayed in hotel accommodation accounted for almost 3.9 million domestic trips in 2017, while those staying with family and friends accounted for 3.1 million trips. See Table 4.

Outbound Travel - 2017

  • Almost 8.2 million outbound trips were undertaken by Irish residents in 2017, an increase of 6.9% on 2016.  See Table 5.
  • A total of 57.7 million bed nights were availed of by Irish residents travelling abroad in 2017. Three quarters (76%) of these bed nights were within the European Union. The average length of stay on outbound trips was 7.1 nights, varying from 6.2 nights within the European Union, 12.4 nights in USA and Canada and 25.7 nights in Australia, New Zealand and Oceania. See Table 6b.
  • Irish residents spent a total of €6,891 million on outbound trips in 2017, of which €4,338 million was spent on holidays, €914 million on business trips and €911 million on visiting friends or relatives.  See Table 7.
  • Visitors who stayed in hotel accommodation accounted for over 19.4 million nights in 2017, while those staying in self-catering/rented house accounted for 15.3 million nights.  See Table 9.

Quarter 4 2017 Results

  • In Quarter 4 2017, Irish residents took 2.3 million domestic trips, an increase of 13.8% when compared to the same period twelve months earlier. Each trip had an average duration of 2.2 nights, resulting in almost 5.2 million bed nights. See Table 1.
  • Total expenditure on domestic trips in Quarter 4 2017 amounted to €405.7 million, of which over half (54%) was spent by those on holidays.  See Table 2.
  • Over 1.8 million outbound trips were undertaken by Irish residents in Quarter 4 2017, an increase of 1.7% over the same period last year.  See Table 5.
  • The average length of stay on outbound trips was 5.9 nights. The UK and Spain were the two most popular destinations in terms of trip numbers at 679,000 and 308,000 respectively. See Tables 6 and 6a.
Table 1 Domestic travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights, Expenditure & Average Length of Stay, Q1 2016 - Q4 2017
             '000
 20122013201420152016201720162017
        Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec
Total Domestic - Trips8,2918,4138,9919,1259,3599,6262,0882,0553,1752,0411,9082,3633,0332,322
Total Domestic - Nights23,70324,19526,08625,26725,58925,5394,5944,92311,5744,4983,8306,10810,4425,159
 
                € million
Total Domestic - Expenditure1,514.21,533.01,713.51,725.31,797.71,879.1 331.1370.0699.4397.2352.9456.0664.4405.7
 
               Nights
Average Length of Stay2.92.92.92.82.72.7 2.22.43.62.2 2.02.63.42.2
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 4 2017 Table 1 (XLS 12KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 1a Domestic travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights, Expenditure & Average Length of Stay by Region Visited, Q1 2016 - Q4 2017
            '000
 20122013201420152016201720162017
        Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec
Total Domestic - Trips8,2918,4138,9919,1259,3599,6262,0882,0553,1752,0411,9082,3633,0332,322
Border, Midland and Western2,4402,6352,8982,8743,0183,0516776191,0227016157061,084646
Southern and Eastern5,8515,7796,0936,2516,3416,5751,4111,4372,1531,3401,2931,6561,9491,677
               
Total Domestic - Nights23,70324,19526,08625,26725,58925,5394,5944,92311,5744,4983,8306,10810,4425,159
Border, Midland and Western7,0788,0959,1408,5718,5339,0081,5721,5593,6731,7291,2892,2013,8521,666
Southern and Eastern16,62616,09916,94616,69617,05716,5313,0223,3647,9022,7682,5413,9066,5913,493
 
                € million
Total Domestic - Expenditure1,514.21,533.01,713.51,725.31,797.71,879.1331.1370.0699.4397.2352.9456.0664.4405.7
Border, Midland and Western461.9505.4569.1559.4584.1613.2108.7115.9211.1148.5110.0155.0238.3109.9
Southern and Eastern1,052.31,027.61,144.41,165.91,213.51,265.8 222.4254.0488.4248.7 242.9301.0426.1295.8
                 
                Nights
Average Length of Stay2.92.92.92.82.72.7 2.22.43.62.2 2.02.63.42.2
Border, Midland and Western2.93.13.23.02.83.0 2.32.53.62.5 2.13.13.62.6
Southern and Eastern2.82.82.82.72.72.5 2.12.33.72.1 2.02.43.42.1
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 4 2017 Table 1a (XLS 14KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 2 Domestic travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights, Expenditure & Average Length of Stay by Reason for Journey, Q1 2016 - Q4 2017
'000
 20122013201420152016201720162017
        Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec
Total Domestic - Trips8,2918,4138,9919,1259,3599,6262,0882,0553,1752,0411,9082,3633,0332,322
Holiday4,0364,0734,4364,6584,8704,8869671,0831,8929278321,2431,7971,014
Business3503644534074314261151186213611210270142
Visiting Friends/Relatives2,7652,9882,9182,9213,0453,096757608913767689669841896
Other11,1409881,1841,1381,0141,218249246309211275349326269
 
Total Domestic - Nights23,70324,19526,08625,26725,58925,5394,5944,92311,5744,4983,8306,10810,4425,159
Holiday12,77113,98614,42414,75115,07713,8442,1622,7428,1402,0331,6413,2856,9172,000
Business693616904672764745188232105239183187131245
Visiting Friends/Relatives7,0337,0957,3356,8777,2387,6891,7341,3092,4461,7491,3921,6322,3532,312
Other13,2062,4983,4232,9672,5113,2615106408844776141,0041,041602
 
                € million
Total Domestic - Expenditure1,514.21,533.01,713.51,725.31,797.71,879.1331.1370.0699.4397.2352.9456.0664.4405.7
Holiday876.2947.2992.81,070.41,135.81,129.2195.5227.9488.6223.8189.7265.1455.7218.7
Business80.584.2110.398.0106.3123.325.331.613.336.132.728.520.941.1
Visiting Friends/Relatives289.6284.8327.0296.5297.0353.164.754.193.784.583.272.3109.787.9
Other1268.0216.8283.4260.4258.6273.4 45.656.4103.852.9 47.390.178.058.0
 
                Nights
Average Length of Stay2.92.92.92.82.72.72.22.43.62.22.02.63.42.2
Holiday3.23.43.33.23.12.82.22.54.32.22.02.63.92.0
Business2.01.72.01.61.81.71.62.01.71.81.61.81.91.7
Visiting Friends/Relatives2.52.42.52.42.42.52.32.22.72.32.02.42.82.6
Other12.82.52.92.62.52.7 2.12.62.92.3 2.22.93.22.2
1 Other includes Education & Training, Sporting Events, Work/Looking for work, Health & Medical, Religious, Shopping and other reasons not elsewhere specified.
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 4 2017 Table 2 (XLS 16KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 2a Domestic travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights, Expenditure &
Average Length of Stay by Reason for Journey, 2012 - 2017
     '000
 201220132014201520162017
Total Domestic - Trips8,2918,4138,9919,1259,3599,626
Holiday4,0364,0734,4364,6584,8704,886
Business350364453407431426
Visiting Friends/Relatives2,7652,9882,9182,9213,0453,096
Education & Training155142128167157218
Sporting Events295269396331296335
Work/Looking for work13084101808468
Other1560493559559477598
 
Total Domestic - Nights23,70324,19526,08625,26725,58925,539
Holiday12,77113,98614,42414,75115,07713,844
Business693616904672764745
Visiting Friends/Relatives7,0337,0957,3356,8777,2387,689
Education & Training1,0467217459527721,218
Sporting Events567495755630574669
Work/Looking for work442266368259220288
Other11,1491,0161,5561,1269441,086
 
      € million
Total Domestic - Expenditure1,514.21,533.01,713.51,725.31,797.71,879.1
Holiday876.2947.2992.81,070.41,135.81,129.2
Business80.584.2110.398.0106.3123.3
Visiting Friends/Relatives289.6284.8327.0296.5297.0353.1
Education & Training53.446.440.660.753.973.3
Sporting Events53.349.967.358.764.362.1
Work/Looking for work37.916.921.017.919.219.3
Other1123.4103.6154.5123.1121.2118.7
 
      Nights
Average Length of Stay2.92.92.92.82.72.7
Holiday3.23.43.33.23.12.8
Business2.01.72.01.61.81.7
Visiting Friends/Relatives2.52.42.52.42.42.5
Education & Training6.85.15.85.74.95.6
Sporting Events1.91.81.91.91.92.0
Work/Looking for work3.43.23.63.22.64.2
Other12.12.12.82.02.01.8
1 Other includes Health & Medical, Religious, Shopping and other reasons not elsewhere specified.
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 4 2017 Table 2a (XLS 14KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 3 Domestic travel by Irish Residents - Percentage Distribution of Trips taken classified by Method of Booking and Type of
 Booking, Quarter 4, 2016 - 2017
 Type of booking
Method of booking         Package1 %         Transport2 %         Accommodation3 %
 Q4 2016Q4 2017Q4 2016Q4 2017Q4 2016Q4 2017
       
Internet      
    Direct41.733.97.15.831.733.4
    Via travel agent/tour operator24.221.70.50.44.65.4
       
Non internet      
    Direct22.023.73.54.913.312.3
    Via travel agent/tour operator3.317.20.10.10.50.1
       
No booking required0.00.087.888.047.647.6
       
Don't know8.83.51.00.82.31.2
       
Total100100100100100100
1A package tour/holiday is where two or more services are combined and sold as a single product at a single price e.g transport and accommodation.
2Transport booked separately, not part of a package.
3Accommodation booked separately, not part of a package.
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 4 2017 Table 3 (XLS 12KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 4 Domestic travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights & Average Length of Stay by Type of Accommodation, Q1 2016 - Q4 2017
'000
 20122013201420152016201720162017
        Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec
Total Domestic - Trips8,2918,4138,9919,1259,3599,6262,0882,0553,1752,0411,9082,3633,0332,322
Hotel 3,3133,3823,6303,7043,6663,8949467811,0039369148611,0721,046
Self Catering/Rented House64472483082786489514121240610497247398153
Friends/Relatives2,8962,9562,9963,0113,2563,0967436571,071784680684881851
Other11,4381,3511,5351,5831,5731,741257404695218217570682272
 
Total Domestic - Nights23,70324,19526,08625,26725,58925,5394,5944,92311,5744,4983,8306,10810,4425,159
Hotel6,9776,7817,2077,1337,1437,2281,6811,4922,3401,6301,4881,6362,3781,727
Self Catering/Rented House3,2373,7144,2403,8963,8223,9523888182,1694473179122,245478
Friends/Relatives7,9357,6958,1577,9178,5438,3051,7271,5003,4551,8621,4651,7422,9062,191
Other15,5546,0056,4826,3216,0826,0547981,1143,6115595601,8172,913764
 
                Nights
Average Length of Stay2.92.92.92.82.72.72.22.43.62.22.02.63.42.2
Hotel 2.12.02.01.91.91.91.81.92.31.71.61.92.21.7
Self Catering/Rented House5.05.15.14.74.44.42.73.85.34.33.33.75.63.1
Friends/Relatives2.72.62.72.62.62.72.32.33.22.42.22.53.32.6
Other13.94.44.24.03.93.5 3.12.85.22.6 2.63.24.32.8
1Other includes stays in Caravan/Camping, Guesthouse/B&B, Own Holiday Home, Health Farm/Spa, Ship/Cruise and other types of accommodation not elsewhere specified.
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 4 2017 Table 4 (XLS 15KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 4a Domestic travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights
& Average Length of Stay by Type of Accommodation, 2012 - 2017
'000
 201220132014201520162017
Total Domestic - Trips8,2918,4138,9919,1259,3599,626
Guesthouse/B&B367330425475416511
Own Holiday Home477407444544486462
Hotel3,3133,3823,6303,7043,6663,894
Self Catering/Rented House644724830827864895
Friends/Relatives2,8962,9562,9963,0113,2563,096
Other1594615666564671768
 
Total Domestic - Nights23,70324,19526,08625,26725,58925,539
Guesthouse/B&B9348451,1001,0079831,139
Own Holiday Home1,7872,2462,0182,9422,1961,716
Hotel6,9776,7817,2077,1337,1437,228
Self Catering/Rented House3,2373,7144,2403,8963,8223,952
Friends/Relatives7,9357,6958,1577,9178,5438,305
Other12,8332,9133,3642,3722,9033,198
 
      Nights
Average Length of Stay2.92.92.92.82.72.7
Guesthouse/B&B2.52.62.62.12.42.2
Own Holiday Home3.85.54.55.44.53.7
Hotel2.12.02.01.91.91.9
Self Catering/Rented House5.05.15.14.74.44.4
Friends/Relatives2.72.62.72.62.62.7
Other14.84.75.14.24.34.2
1Other includes stays in Health Farm/Spa, Ship/Cruise, Caravan/Camping and other types of accommodation not elsewhere specified.
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 4 2017 Table 4a (XLS 13KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 5 Outbound travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights, Expenditure & Average Length of Stay, Q1 2016 - Q4 2017
              '000
 20122013201420152016201720162017
        Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec
Total Outbound - Trips6,6236,5756,6777,0947,6448,171 1,5222,0022,3211,7991,6072,1622,5721,830
Total Outbound - Nights53,11251,98553,65253,51556,74857,698 10,84014,05421,38410,4709,71314,53522,70710,743
 
                € million
Total Outbound - Expenditure5,342.55,384.25,590.26,022.16,539.06,890.7 1,224.11,582.12,273.31,459.51,240.21,730.22,438.51,481.8
 
                Nights
Average Length of Stay8.07.98.07.57.47.1 7.17.09.25.8 6.06.78.85.9
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 4 2017 Table 5 (XLS 12KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 6 Outbound travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights and Expenditure by Country/Region Visited, Q1 2016 - Q4 2017
             '000
 201220132014201520162017 20162017
        Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec
Total Outbound - Trips6,6236,5756,6777,0947,6448,171 1,5222,0022,3211,7991,6072,1622,5721,830
France630538586632610550 131164216999015124960
Germany163164220203230261 4859517253546192
Italy348284274418362440 7792140536713215686
Portugal35132237031347952634176183865614725965
Spain1,3391,3671,2901,5521,5871,758 232514573269265594590308
United Kingdom (GB & NI)2,2372,4072,3552,2692,4632,597 606521632704625618675679
   Of which : Great Britain1,7842,0111,9651,9332,0092,114 515435526534519502543549
                     Northern Ireland453396390336454482 9186106171106116131129
Other Europe17727247819551,0071,135 224269283231272255313294
USA and Canada388404453422492558 8910615314492136168162
Asia177133173165222221 3350558452417651
All other areas216232174164192125 4753345736332432
 
Total Outbound - Nights53,11251,98553,65253,51556,74857,698 10,84014,05421,38410,4709,71314,53522,70710,743
France5,8255,1765,1295,5655,3455,208 7991,1822,8854799441,3612,624279
Germany9257311,2981,2141,1351,286 249276306304266228456336
Italy2,8462,1792,3153,0972,9163,522 5666871,3742883459471,640591
Portugal3,3752,8713,3372,7463,9094,330 2641,2091,7816562771,0022,438613
Spain12,49712,69012,87214,03414,65214,579 2,3434,3745,6702,2651,7934,7965,6422,349
United Kingdom (GB & NI)9,2399,5319,7638,8269,0409,072 2,6681,6692,6252,0782,1172,0412,6122,301
   Of which : Great Britain7,9918,5288,6757,9758,0388,026 2,4251,4782,4161,7191,8711,8142,3152,026
                     Northern Ireland1,2481,0031,0888501,0021,046 243190210359246227298275
Other Europe15,6285,5666,9836,3466,4087,1281,4181,7042,3039831,5461,5002,7181,363
USA and Canada5,8385,6916,2955,8776,3346,929 1,0191,2102,6811,4248381,6382,9651,488
Asia2,9772,4672,4922,8113,3113,435 5147181,0191,0618564491,246884
All other areas3,9625,0833,1683,0003,6982,210 1,0001,026739932731573366539
 
                € million
Total Outbound - Expenditure5,342.55,384.25,590.26,022.16,539.06,890.71,224.11,582.12,273.31,459.51,240.21,730.22,438.51,481.8
France495.6433.2473.3486.0449.6476.888.7114.8197.548.673.0141.1219.043.8
Germany111.599.3138.5126.5160.0171.436.838.141.643.530.742.542.455.8
Italy311.8256.1254.7374.7357.7393.263.680.7184.628.844.9105.1154.588.7
Portugal299.5246.5302.7269.3382.5448.922.1128.1174.957.426.6109.1260.452.8
Spain1,093.01,101.41,141.31,317.71,428.61,526.9200.8397.3622.0208.5184.2465.6606.5270.7
United Kingdom (GB & NI)871.8924.0973.11,030.3998.31,032.7240.3185.4291.4281.1252.8239.1267.8273.1
   Of which : Great Britain789.0864.9897.2946.5913.2929.6226.4170.2268.7248.0229.9215.3245.9238.6
                     Northern Ireland82.759.175.983.885.1103.114.015.322.733.122.923.821.934.5
Other Europe1545.4568.6704.2739.4783.9930.7180.6194.5259.8149.0196.4195.7316.6222.0
USA and Canada787.0819.0890.2925.71,051.11,137.9185.6254.1323.4288.0180.0277.8375.3304.7
Asia 346.2371.6347.0368.5472.4477.097.284.895.2195.2162.688.4125.8100.2
All other areas480.6564.4365.2383.9455.0295.2 108.4104.382.8159.5 89.065.970.270.2
1 All other EU member states and all other European countries.
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 4 2017 Table 6 (XLS 19KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 6a Outbound travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights & Average Length of Stay by Region Visited, Q1 2016 - Q4 2017
               '000
 201220132014201520162017 20162017
        Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec
Total Outbound - Trips6,6236,5756,6777,0947,6448,171 1,5222,0022,3211,799 1,6072,1622,5721,830
EU15,6475,6145,7356,1616,5977,116 1,3251,7572,0341,480 1,3941,9252,2601,537
Other Europe2194191142181142151 27364534 33274447
USA and Canada388404453422492558 89106153144 92136168162
Other 394365347329414346 8010390141 887410184
 
Total Outbound - Nights53,11251,98553,65253,51556,74857,698 10,84014,05421,38410,470 9,71314,53522,70710,743
EU138,98837,10340,23740,56442,41644,048 8,07610,86816,6026,871 7,09211,69817,6757,584
Other Europe21,3481,6411,4601,2639891,075 231233343182 196177454248
USA and Canada5,8385,6916,2955,8776,3346,929 1,0191,2102,6811,424 8381,6382,9651,488
Other 6,9397,5505,6605,8117,0095,645 1,5141,7441,7571,994 1,5871,0231,6121,423
 
                Nights
Average Length of Stay8.07.98.07.57.47.1 7.17.09.25.8 6.06.78.85.9
EU16.96.67.06.66.46.2 6.16.28.24.6 5.16.17.84.9
Other Europe27.08.610.37.07.07.1 8.56.57.65.3 5.96.410.45.3
USA and Canada15.014.113.913.912.912.4 11.411.417.69.9 9.112.017.79.2
Other 17.620.716.317.716.916.3 18.916.919.614.2 18.013.816.017.0
1From 1st July 2013, EU includes Croatia.
2Other Europe includes Croatia until the 30th June 2013.
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 4 2017 Table 6a (XLS 15KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 6b Outbound travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights,
Expenditure & Average Length of Stay by Region Visited, 2012 - 2017
      '000
 201220132014201520162017
Total Outbound - Trips6,6236,5756,6777,0947,6448,171
EU15,6475,6145,7356,1616,5977,116
Other Europe2194191142181142151
USA and Canada388404453422492558
Central, South & Other Americas743932405530
Asia177133173165222221
Africa667887806663
Australia, New Zealand & Oceania7611556447132
 
Total Outbound - Nights53,11251,98553,65253,51556,74857,698
EU138,98837,10340,23740,56442,41644,048
Other Europe21,3481,6411,4601,2639891,075
USA and Canada5,8385,6916,2955,8776,3346,929
Central, South & Other Americas1,050492526629869462
Asia2,9772,4672,4922,8113,3113,435
Africa1,0299501,3861,2441,278926
Australia, New Zealand & Oceania1,8833,6421,2561,1271,550822
 
      € million
Total Outbound - Expenditure5,342.55,384.25,590.26,022.16,539.06,890.7
EU13,590.53,456.23,831.34,185.94,438.24,830.9
Other Europe2138.1173.1156.4158.1122.4149.7
USA and Canada787.0819.0890.2925.71,051.11,137.9
Central, South & Other Americas142.177.088.696.1150.573.7
Asia346.2371.6347.0368.5472.4477.0
Africa120.0111.4142.3168.4117.5122.3
Australia, New Zealand & Oceania218.5376.0134.2119.4187.099.3
 
      Nights
Average Length of Stay8.07.98.07.57.47.1
EU16.96.67.06.66.46.2
Other Europe27.08.610.37.07.07.1
USA and Canada15.014.113.913.912.912.4
Central, South & Other Americas14.112.616.515.815.715.3
Asia 16.818.614.417.014.915.6
Africa15.512.116.015.519.414.6
Australia, New Zealand & Oceania24.831.722.625.722.025.7
1From 1st July 2013, EU includes Croatia.
2Other Europe includes Croatia until the 30th June 2013.
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 4 2017 Table 6b (XLS 15KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 7 Outbound travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights, Expenditure & Average Length of Stay by Reason for Journey, Q1 2016 - Q4 2017
              '000
 201220132014201520162017 20162017
        Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec
Total Outbound - Trips6,6236,5756,6777,0947,6448,171 1,5222,0022,3211,799 1,6072,1622,5721,830
Holiday3,8173,6593,6754,2194,2444,912 7271,1581,527833 8381,3591,803912
Business584652729767897753 237232149279 205205132212
Visiting Friends/Relatives1,4721,6241,6201,4301,7471,730 376406490474 387373485484
Other1750639652678757776 182206155213 177226152222
 
Total Outbound - Nights53,11251,98553,65253,51556,74857,698 10,84014,05421,38410,470 9,71314,53522,70710,743
Holiday34,46231,72633,09535,27634,95736,691 5,8039,07914,6755,400 4,8949,76716,3015,729
Business2,1992,3942,9802,9054,0652,705 1,2579236541,231 757759525664
Visiting Friends/Relatives10,50212,14112,76310,29811,84111,708 2,5512,6034,0102,676 2,7622,2763,9792,692
Other15,9505,7254,8145,0375,8866,593 1,2291,4492,0451,162 1,3001,7331,9021,658
 
                € million
Total Outbound - Expenditure5,342.55,384.25,590.26,022.16,539.06,890.7 1,224.11,582.12,273.31,459.5 1,240.21,730.22,438.51,481.8
Holiday3,371.63,192.83,391.13,836.33,926.84,337.6 631.4934.31,599.7761.5 653.91,076.01,816.5791.1
Business631.4812.4812.6880.61,094.1913.8 288.5279.0180.4346.2 268.0243.8138.0264.1
Visiting Friends/Relatives800.9888.0912.1759.7893.8910.8 168.0211.9305.0208.9 181.2196.9293.7239.1
Other1538.6491.0474.3545.5624.2728.5 136.2156.9188.3142.8 137.2213.5190.3187.6
 
                Nights
Average Length of Stay8.07.98.07.57.47.1 7.17.09.25.8 6.06.78.85.9
Holiday9.08.79.08.48.27.5 8.07.89.66.5 5.87.29.06.3
Business3.83.74.13.84.53.6 5.34.04.44.4 3.73.74.03.1
Visiting Friends/Relatives7.17.57.97.26.86.8 6.86.48.25.6 7.16.18.25.6
Other17.99.07.47.47.88.5 6.77.013.25.5 7.47.712.57.5
1Other includes Education & Training, Sporting Events, Work/Looking for work, Health & Medical, Religious, Shopping and other reasons not elsewhere specified.
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 4 2017 Table 7 (XLS 16KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 7a Outbound travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights, Expenditure
 & Average Length of Stay by Reason for Journey, 2012 - 2017
      '000
 201220132014201520162017
Total Outbound - Trips6,6236,5756,6777,0947,6448,171
Holiday3,8173,6593,6754,2194,2444,912
Business584652729767897753
Visiting Friends/Relatives1,4721,6241,6201,4301,7471,730
Education & Training102858588100113
Sporting Events300222255291264288
Work/Looking for work120135115104107111
Other1227197198194285263
 
Total Outbound - Nights53,11251,98553,65253,51556,74857,698
Holiday34,46231,72633,09535,27634,95736,691
Business2,1992,3942,9802,9054,0652,705
Visiting Friends/Relatives10,50212,14112,76310,29811,84111,708
Education & Training1,1361,0011,0249311,1791,810
Sporting Events1,0819327729201,1631,053
Work/Looking for work2,0782,4361,7221,6511,7022,165
Other11,6551,3561,2961,5351,8421,565
 
      € million
Total Outbound - Expenditure5,342.55,384.25,590.26,022.16,539.06,890.7
Holiday3,371.63,192.83,391.13,836.33,926.84,337.6
Business631.4812.4812.6880.61,094.1913.8
Visiting Friends/Relatives800.9888.0912.1759.7893.8910.8
Education & Training78.790.172.371.092.8165.2
Sporting Events151.3126.3124.0168.1177.9185.2
Work/Looking for work131.1122.1114.1154.6144.2175.7
Other1177.4152.5163.9151.9209.2202.4
 
      Nights
Average Length of Stay8.07.98.07.57.47.1
Holiday9.08.79.08.48.27.5
Business3.83.74.13.84.53.6
Visiting Friends/Relatives7.17.57.97.26.86.8
Education & Training11.211.812.010.511.716.0
Sporting Events3.64.23.03.24.43.7
Work/Looking for work17.218.015.015.815.919.4
Other17.36.96.57.96.55.9
1Other includes Health & Medical, Religious, Shopping and other reasons not elsewhere specified.
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 4 2017 Table 7a (XLS 14KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 8 Outbound travel by Irish Residents - Percentage Distribution of Trips taken classified by
Method of Booking and Type of Booking, Quarter 4, 2016 - 2017
 Type of booking
          Package1 %         Transport2 %         Accommodation3 %
 Q4 2016Q4 2017Q4 2016Q4 2017Q4 2016Q4 2017
Method of booking      
       
Internet      
    Direct12.213.479.183.150.348.9
    Via travel agent/tour operator65.254.05.56.09.810.5
       
Non internet      
    Direct3.74.41.61.53.86.9
    Via travel agent/tour operator18.526.81.61.41.61.2
       
No booking required0.00.010.36.932.430.6
       
Don't know0.31.42.01.12.01.9
       
Total 100100100100100100
1A package tour/holiday is where two or more services are combined and sold as a single product at a single
price e.g transport and accommodation.
2Transport booked separately, not part of a package.
3Accommodation booked separately, not part of a package.
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 4 2017 Table 8 (XLS 12KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 9 Outbound travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights & Average Length of Stay by Type of Accommodation, Q1 2016 - Q4 2017
              '000
 201220132014201520162017 20162017
        Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec
Total Outbound - Trips6,6236,5756,6777,0947,6448,171 1,5222,0022,3211,799 1,6072,1622,5721,830
Hotel 2,6902,8733,0953,3673,4573,706 721924845967 8571,016932901
Self Catering/Rented House1,3641,1821,0511,2111,5251,598 261425597243 231394693280
Friends/Relatives1,6611,7171,6501,6801,8411,747 424422537458 384421469472
Other19078038828368211,121 116231343131 136331478176
 
Total Outbound - Nights53,11251,98553,65253,51556,74857,698 10,84014,05421,38410,470 9,71314,53522,70710,743
Hotel 14,49215,41618,07818,19218,93619,439 3,8575,0365,5754,468 3,7915,3906,2633,995
Self Catering/Rented House14,08113,70511,72012,15114,85815,324 2,5023,6236,7132,020 1,9943,3967,2442,690
Friends/Relatives14,34413,87514,16014,34113,84112,558 3,0253,0344,9032,879 2,7032,9354,1532,767
Other110,1958,9899,6958,8329,11310,376 1,4572,3614,1921,103 1,2252,8135,0461,292
 
             Nights
Average Length of Stay8.07.98.07.57.47.1 7.17.09.25.8 6.06.78.85.9
Hotel 5.45.45.85.45.55.2 5.45.46.64.6 4.45.36.74.4
Self Catering/Rented House10.311.611.110.09.79.6 9.68.511.28.3 8.68.610.59.6
Friends/Relatives8.68.18.68.57.57.2 7.17.29.16.3 7.07.08.95.9
Other111.211.211.010.611.19.3 12.510.212.28.4 9.08.510.67.4
1Other includes stays in Caravan/Camping, Guesthouse/B&B, Own Holiday Home, Health Farm/Spa, Ship/Cruise and other types of accommodation not elsewhere specified.
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 4 2017 Table 9 (XLS 15KB)
upArrowHide Table
Table 9a Outbound travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights & Average Length
of Stay by Type of Accommodation, 2012 - 2017
      '000
 201220132014201520162017
Total Outbound - Trips6,6236,5756,6777,0947,6448,171
Guesthouse/B&B234171213144195258
Own Holiday Home148181123109150165
Hotel2,6902,8733,0953,3673,4573,706
Self Catering/Rented House1,3641,1821,0511,2111,5251,598
Friends/Relatives1,6611,7171,6501,6801,8411,747
Other1525451545583476697
 
Total Outbound - Nights53,11251,98553,65253,51556,74857,698
Guesthouse/B&B1,9311,0221,3769551,3611,598
Own Holiday Home2,5712,7221,6981,3902,2901,525
Hotel14,49215,41618,07818,19218,93619,439
Self Catering/Rented House14,08113,70511,72012,15114,85815,324
Friends/Relatives14,34413,87514,16014,34113,84112,558
Other15,6925,2456,6216,4865,4627,252
 
      Nights
Average Length of Stay8.07.98.07.57.47.1
Guesthouse/B&B8.26.06.46.67.06.2
Own Holiday Home17.315.013.812.715.39.2
Hotel5.45.45.85.45.55.2
Self Catering/Rented House10.311.611.110.09.79.6
Friends/Relatives8.68.18.68.57.57.2
Other110.811.612.111.111.510.4
1Other includes stays in Health Farm/Spa, Ship/Cruise, Caravan/Camping and other types of accommodation not elsewhere specified.
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 4 2017 Table 9a (XLS 13KB)
upArrowHide Table

Background Notes

Periodicity

Annual/Quarterly.

Scope

Domestic and Outbound travel patterns which involve overnight stays of all residents of the Republic of Ireland.

Coverage

All private households.

Purpose

The purpose of the Household Travel Survey (HTS) is to measure domestic and outbound travel patterns involving overnight stays and associated details (expenditure, purpose of trip, type of accommodation used etc.) of Irish residents.  The survey is one of several Central Statistics Office (CSO) tourism surveys conducted to comply with the requirements of Council Directive 95/57/EC of 23 November 1995 concerning the collection of statistical information in the field of tourism for data to the end of 2011 and Regulation (EU) No 692/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2011 concerning European statistics on tourism and repealing Council Directive 95/57/EC in respect of data from the beginning of 2012.

Data Collection

Information is collected via postal survey of private households on a monthly basis by the Central Statistics Office.

Sample Design

The HTS is a random stratified sample. Each month, over 4,600 households (or approximately 0.3% of all private households) are randomly selected from the 2015 Electoral Register, where the selection is stratified by District Electoral Division.

The sample size for some subcategories/breakdowns can be small and therefore caution should be taken when analysing this data. 

Methodological Change

      Domestic Travel

From Quarter 1 2012 onwards, survey data for domestic travel is weighted to agree with population estimates broken down by sex, age group and region (NUTS 3). The population estimates are provided by the CSO's Demography Unit. These weightings are then applied to survey results.

      Outbound Travel

From Quarter 1 2012 onwards, survey data for outbound travel are weighted to agree with population estimates broken down by sex, age group and region (NUTS 3). The population estimates are provided by the CSO's Demography Unit. These weightings are then applied to survey results. The results for outbound travel are subsequently further weighted to agree with the Tourism & Travel results.

       Revisions to data

There have been revisions to domestic and outbound travel data from Quarter 1 2012 onwards as a result of the change to the weighting methodology. Revised data are published in Quarter 1 2016 release. A summary of the effect of these revisions is shown in the enclosed table.

Table : Household Travel Survey - summary effect of revisions of data due to changed methodology

  2012  2013  2014  2015
Total Domestic - Trips '000 (data pre revision)  7,031  7,111  7,354  7,529
Total Domestic - Trips '000 (data revised)  8,291  8,413  8,991  9,125
% Difference  17.9%  18.3%  22.3%  21.2%
         
Total Domestic - Nights '000 (data pre revision)  20,120  20,649  21,204  20,931
Total Domestic - Nights '000 (data revised)  23,703  24,195  26,086  25,267
% Difference  17.8%  17.2%  23.0%  20.7%
         
Domestic - Expenditure €m (data pre revision) 1,345.4 1,373.2 1,464.0 1,529.9
Domestic - Expenditure €m (data revised) 1,514.2 1,533.0 1,713.5 1,725.3
% Difference 12.5% 11.6% 17.0% 12.8%
 
 
Total Outbound - Trips '000 (data pre revision) 6,600 6,579  6,676  7,077 
Total Outbound - Trips '000 (data revised) 6,623 6,575  6,677  7,094 
% Difference 0.3%  -0.1%  0.0%  0.2% 
         
Total Outbound - Nights '000 (data pre revision)  53,046  52,078  53,635  53,477
Total Outbound - Nights '000 (data revised)  53,112  51,985  53,652  53,515
% Difference  0.1%  -0.2%  0.0%  0.1%
         
Outbound - Expenditure €m (data pre revision)  5,345.2  5,392.5  5,598.2  6,016.8
Outbound - Expenditure €m (data revised)  5,342.5  5,384.2  5,590.2  6,022.1
% Difference  -0.1%  -0.2%  -0.1%  0.1%


Break in series

Arising from these changes, discontinuities in all of the series relating to outbound and domestic travel have occurred. Therefore, these results are not directly comparable with the results prior to Quarter 1 2012.

It should be noted that there are some differences between the Household Travel Survey and Tourism and Travel Survey:

  • The HTS includes travel to Northern Ireland while the Tourism and Travel Survey (TTS) only includes overseas travel (it excludes travel to Northern Ireland).
  • The HTS only includes travel where there is at least one overnight stay while the Tourism and Travel Survey (TTS) covers both same-day trips and overnight trips.

Definitions

Tourism

Means the activity of visitors taking a trip to a main destination outside their usual environment, for less than a year, for any main purpose, including business, leisure or other personal purpose, other than to be employed  by a resident entity in the place visited.

Usual Environment

The usual environment of an individual is defined as the geographical area (though not necessarily a contiguous one) within which an individual conducts his/her regular life routines.  Places that are frequently visited are part of a person’s usual environment even though they may be located at a considerable distance (or in another country) from the place of residence.

For the purposes of this release, trips taken on a weekly or more frequent basis are considered to be within a respondent’s usual environment and are thus excluded from estimates for tourism trips.  The one exception being that of holiday homes which although may be frequently visited, are considered outside the usual environment according to the UNWTO 2008 International Recommendations on Tourism Statistics (IRTS).

Trip

A trip refers to the travel by a person from the time of departure from his/her usual residence until he/she returns: it thus refers to a round trip.  A trip is made up of visits to different places.

Domestic Tourism

Domestic tourism is defined as the activities of residents of the Republic of Ireland travelling to and staying in places only within the Republic of Ireland but outside their usual environment.

The following categories are excluded from the definition of domestic travel:

  • Residents travelling within the country with the intention of changing their usual residence.
  • Persons who travel to work temporarily in institutions within the country.
  • Persons who travel regularly or frequently between neighbouring localities to work or study.
  • Nomads and persons without fixed residence.
  • Armed forces on manoeuvre.

Outbound Tourism

Outbound tourism is defined as the activities of residents of the Republic of Ireland travelling to and staying in places outside the Republic of Ireland and outside their usual environment.  From 2012 onwards expenditure on outbound travel includes travel on car imports. Car imports were over €300 million in 2017.

The following categories are excluded from outbound travel:

  • Persons leaving the country as migrants, including dependants accompanying or joining them.
  • Persons, known as border workers, residing near the border in the Republic of Ireland but working in the North of Ireland.
  • Diplomats, consular officers and members of the armed forces when travelling outside of the Republic of Ireland on assignment.  This includes dependants and household employees accompanying or joining them.
  • Persons travelling as refugees or nomads.

Overnight Visitor

An overnight visitor is a visitor who stays at least one night in collective or private accommodation in the place, county or country visited.

Tourism Expenditure (to the end of 2011)

Total consumption expenditure is any expenditure made by a visitor or on behalf of a visitor during their trip and stay at their destination.

Tourism expenditure includes purchases of consumer goods and services inherent in travel and stay (eg. travel to, from and at destination, accommodation costs, food and drink, excursions), purchases of durable goods for personal use, souvenirs and gifts for family and friends.

The following outlays or acquisitions are excluded:

  • Purchases for commercial purposes, for resale, purchases made on behalf of an employer during a business trip.
  • Capital type investments or transactions engaged in by visitors, such as land, housing or real estate, works of art and other important acquisitions (such as cars, caravans, boats, second houses), even though they may be used in the future for tourism travel purposes.
  • Cash given to relatives or friends during the trip, which does not represent payment of tourism goods or services, as well as donations made to institutions.

Tourism Expenditure (from 2012 onwards)

Total consumption expenditure is any expenditure made by a visitor or on behalf of a visitor during their trip and stay at their destination.

Tourism expenditure includes purchases of consumer goods and services inherent in travel and stay (eg. travel to, from and at destination, accommodation costs, food and drink, excursions), purchases of durable goods for personal use, souvenirs and gifts for family and friends.

Expenditure on valuables such as paintings, works of art, jewellery and on durable consumer goods such as cars, boats, mobile homes and caravans are also included.

The following outlays or acquisitions are excluded:

  • Purchases for commercial purposes, for resale, purchases made on behalf of an employer during a business trip.
  • Investments or transactions engaged in by visitors, such as land, housing or real estate.
  • Cash given to relatives or friends during the trip, which does not represent payment of tourism goods or services, as well as donations made to institutions.

Rounding

Individual figures have been rounded independently and the sum of the component items therefore may not necessarily add to the totals shown.

NUTS Regions

The regional classifications in this release are based on the NUTS (Nomenclature of Territorial Units) classification used by Eurostat.  The NUTS 3 regions correspond to the eight Regional Authorities established under the Local Government Act, 1991 and Regional Authorities Establishment Order, 1993, which came into operation on 1 January 1994.  The NUTS 2 regions, which were proposed by Government and agreed by Eurostat in 1999, are groupings of the NUTS 3 regions.  The composition of the regions is set out below.

Border, Midland and Western NUTS 2 Region   

Southern and Eastern NUTS 2 Region
Border Cavan Dublin Dublin City
  Donegal   Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown       
  Leitrim   Fingal
  Louth   South Dublin
  Monaghan    
  Sligo Mid-East Kildare
      Meath
Midland         Laois   Wicklow
  Longford    
  Offaly Mid-West Clare
  Westmeath   Limerick City
      Limerick
West Galway City   North Tipperary
  Galway    
  Mayo South-East          Carlow
  Roscommon                 Kilkenny
      South Tipperary
      Waterford City
      Waterford
      Wexford
       
    South-West Cork City
      Cork
      Kerry

 

   

EU includes the following countries:
Austria France Netherlands
Belgium Germany Poland
Bulgaria Greece Portugal
Croatia (from 1/7/2013) Hungary Romania
Cyprus Italy Slovakia
Czech Republic Latvia Slovenia
Denmark Lithuania Spain
Estonia Luxembourg Sweden
Finland Malta United Kingdom
 
 
Other Europe includes the following countries:
Aland Islands Isle of Man Russian Federation
Albania Jersey San Marino
Andorra Kosovo Serbia
Belarus Liechtenstein Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Bosnia and Herzegovina                             Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of           Switzerland
Faroe Islands Moldova, Republic of Turkey
Gibraltar Monaco                                     Ukraine
Guernsey Montenegro Vatican City 
Iceland Norway  

 

 

 

Central, South and Other Americas includes the following countries:
Anguilla Dominican Republic Paraguay
Antigua and Barbuda Ecuador Peru
Argentina El Salvador Puerto Rico
Aruba Falkland Islands (Malvinas)                Saint Kitts and Nevis
Bahamas French Guiana Saint Lucia
Barbados Greenland Saint Martin
Belize Grenada Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Bermuda Guadeloupe Saint Vincent & the Grenadines
Bolivia Guatemala Saint-Barthelemy         
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba Guyana Sint Maarten
Brazil Haiti Suriname
Cayman Islands Honduras Trinidad and Tobago
Chile Jamaica Turks and Caicos Islands
Colombia Martinique Uruguay
Costa Rica Mexico Venezuela
Cuba Montserrat    Virgin Islands, British
Curacao Nicaragua Virgin Islands, US 
Dominica                                       Panama                        

 

 

Asia includes the following countries:
Afghanistan Japan Palestine, State of      
Armenia Jordan Philippines
Azerbaijan Kazakhstan Qatar
Bahrain Korea, Democratic People's Republic of             Saudi Arabia
Bangladesh Korea, Republic of Singapore
Bhutan Kuwait Sri Lanka
British Indian Ocean Territory             Kyrgyzstan Syrian Arab Republic
Brunei Darussalam Lao People's Democratic Republic Taiwan, Province of China
Cambodia Lebanon Tajikistan
China Macao Thailand
Georgia Malaysia Timor Leste
Hong Kong Maldives Turkmenistan
India Mongolia United Arab Emirates
Indonesia Myanmar Uzbekistan
Iran, Islamic Republic of Nepal Vietnam
Iraq Oman Yemen
Israel Pakistan  

 

 

Africa includes the following countries:
Algeria Gambia Rwanda
Angola Ghana Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Benin Guinea Sao Tome and Principe
Botswana Guinea-Bissau              Senegal
Burkina Faso Kenya Seychelles
Burundi Lesotho Sierra Leone
Cameroon Liberia Somalia
Cape Verde Libya South Africa
Central African Republic Madagascar South Sudan
Chad Malawi Sudan
Comoros Mali Swaziland
Congo Mauritania Tanzania, United Republic of             
Congo, the Democratic Republic of the             Mauritius Togo
Cote d’Ivoire Mayotte Tunisia
Djibouti Morocco Uganda
Egypt Mozambique Western Sahara
Equatorial Guinea Namibia Zambia
Eritrea Niger Zimbabwe
Ethiopia Nigeria  
Gabon Reunion  

 

 

 

Australia, New Zealand and Oceania includes the following countries:
American Samoa Heard Island & McDonald Islands  Papua New Guinea
Antarctica Kiribati Pitcairn Islands
Australia Marshall Islands           Samoa
Bouvet Island Micronesia, Federated States of Solomon Islands
Christmas Island Nauru South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands
Cocos (Keeling) Islands New Caledonia Tokelau
Cook Islands New Zealand Tonga
Fiji Niue Tuvalu
French Polynesia Norfolk Island United States Minor Outlying Islands
French Southern Territories Northern Mariana Islands Vanuatu
Guam Palau Wallis and Futuna 

 

upArrowHide Background Notes

Scan the QR code below to view this release online or go to
http://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/er/hts/householdtravelsurveyquarter4andyear2017/

Contact:

Central Statistics Office
Skehard Road, Cork T12 X00E, Ireland

Tel:
(+353) 21 453 5000
E-Mail:
information@cso.ie

Links:

Follow: