This chapter presents information on the tourism sector of the Irish economy. The tourism and travel information covers earnings and expenditure from tourism and travel as well as detailing the number of trips to Ireland classified by area of residence and reason for journey. Details of foreign and domestic travel by Irish residents classified by region visited and reason for journey are also included.
| 20.1 Overseas trips to Ireland by non-residents - number of trips, average length of stay and expenditure by area of residence, 2012 - 2016 | |||||
| '000 | |||||
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | |
| Total overseas trips to Ireland | 6,517 | 6,986 | 7,604 | 8,643 | 9,584 |
| Great Britain | 2,774 | 2,929 | 3,164 | 3,547 | 3,924 |
| France | 396 | 434 | 456 | 505 | 531 |
| Germany | 448 | 483 | 557 | 629 | 652 |
| Italy | 252 | 234 | 258 | 321 | 344 |
| Other Europe | 1,251 | 1,312 | 1,368 | 1,588 | 1,774 |
| USA & Canada | 1,017 | 1,158 | 1,329 | 1,514 | 1,808 |
| Australia & New Zealand | 155 | 187 | 190 | 207 | 204 |
| All other areas | 223 | 248 | 284 | 331 | 346 |
| Nights | |||||
| Average length of stay in Ireland | 7.4 | 7.3 | 7.2 | 7.1 | 6.9 |
| Great Britain | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.2 |
| France | 9.2 | 8.9 | 8.8 | 8.6 | 9.4 |
| Germany | 9.0 | 9.6 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 8.6 |
| Italy | 9.5 | 9.0 | 9.5 | 8.6 | 7.8 |
| Other Europe | 9.1 | 8.8 | 9.0 | 8.7 | 8.9 |
| USA & Canada | 8.5 | 8.2 | 7.4 | 7.7 | 7.2 |
| Australia & New Zealand | 11.6 | 11.8 | 12.5 | 12.3 | 12.5 |
| All other areas | 13.9 | 14.1 | 14.8 | 15.1 | 15.6 |
| €million | |||||
| Total expenditure in Ireland (excluding fares) | 2,916 | 3,262 | 3,548 | 4,208 | 4,577 |
| Great Britain | 819 | 847 | 885 | 971 | 1,061 |
| France | 189 | 200 | 202 | 236 | 274 |
| Germany | 227 | 286 | 334 | 397 | 388 |
| Italy | 108 | 119 | 132 | 153 | 175 |
| Other Europe | 544 | 629 | 639 | 771 | 821 |
| USA & Canada | 742 | 822 | 935 | 1,197 | 1,335 |
| Australia & New Zealand | 133 | 168 | 177 | 200 | 204 |
| All other areas | 155 | 191 | 244 | 283 | 319 |
| Source: CSO | |||||
Interactive table: StatBank link
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | |
| Great Britain | 2774000 | 2929000 | 3164000 | 3547000 | 3924000 |
| France, Germany, Italy | 1096000 | 1151000 | 1271000 | 1455000 | 1527000 |
| Other Europe | 1251000 | 1312000 | 1368000 | 1588000 | 1774000 |
| USA & Canada | 1017000 | 1158000 | 1329000 | 1514000 | 1808000 |
| Other Areas | 378000 | 435000 | 474000 | 538000 | 550000 |
In 2016, 9.6 million overseas trips were made by non-residents to Ireland compared to 8.6 million trips in 2015, an increase of 10.9%. Residents of Great Britain took over 3.9 million trips to Ireland during 2016, an increase of 377,000 trips (10.6%) compared to 2015. The average length of stay in Ireland by all overseas travellers fell from 7.1 nights in 2015 to 6.9 nights in 2016. The most important overseas markets in terms of non-fare expenditure within Ireland in 2016 were USA and Canada (29.2%) and Great Britain (23.2%).
| 20.2 Overseas trips to Ireland by non-residents - number of trips, average length of stay and expenditure by reason for journey, 2012 - 2016 | |||||
| '000 | |||||
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | |
| Total overseas trips to Ireland | 6,517 | 6,986 | 7,604 | 8,643 | 9,584 |
| Business | 1,182 | 1,242 | 1,282 | 1,441 | 1,539 |
| Visit to Friends/Relatives | 1,818 | 2,015 | 2,209 | 2,297 | 2,553 |
| Holiday/Leisure/Recreation | 2,832 | 3,059 | 3,324 | 4,001 | 4,388 |
| Other | 685 | 670 | 789 | 904 | 1,105 |
| Nights | |||||
| Average length of stay in Ireland | 7.4 | 7.3 | 7.2 | 7.1 | 6.9 |
| Business | 5.0 | 5.4 | 5.6 | 5.3 | 5.7 |
| Visit to Friends/Relatives | 7.3 | 7.3 | 7.4 | 7.3 | 7.2 |
| Holiday/Leisure/Recreation | 6.6 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 6.5 | 6.4 |
| Other | 14.8 | 14.0 | 12.1 | 11.9 | 10.0 |
| €million | |||||
| Total expenditure in Ireland (excluding fares) | 2,916 | 3,262 | 3,548 | 4,208 | 4,577 |
| Business | 529 | 580 | 587 | 675 | 724 |
| Visit to Friends/Relatives | 588 | 670 | 784 | 803 | 864 |
| Holiday/Leisure/Recreation | 1,513 | 1,687 | 1,823 | 2,330 | 2,547 |
| Other | 287 | 324 | 353 | 400 | 443 |
| Source: CSO | |||||
Interactive table: StatBank link
The number of overseas trips to Ireland for the purpose of holiday/leisure/recreation increased by 387,000 trips to almost 4.4 million trips between 2015 and 2016, a rise of 9.7%. During the same period, the number of trips to visit friends and relatives rose by 256,000 trips to over 2.5 million trips, an increase of 11.1%.
Excluding fares, expenditure by overseas travellers increased by 8.8% in 2016, from €4,208 million in 2015 to €4,577 million. Of this €4,577 million, 55.6% was spent by overseas travellers for holiday/leisure/recreation purposes, 18.9% by those travelling to visit friends and relatives, 15.8% by business travellers and the remaining 9.7% by those travelling for ‘Other’ reasons.
| 20.3 Outbound travel (overnight trips) by Irish residents - number of trips, number of nights, average length of stay and expenditure by region visited, 2012 - 2016 | |||||
| '000 | |||||
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | |
| Total outbound - trips | 6,623 | 6,575 | 6,677 | 7,094 | 7,646 |
| EU1 | 5,647 | 5,614 | 5,735 | 6,161 | 6,600 |
| Other Europe2 | 194 | 191 | 142 | 181 | 141 |
| North America | 388 | 404 | 453 | 422 | 490 |
| Central, South & Other Americas | 74 | 39 | 32 | 40 | 56 |
| Asia & Middle East | 177 | 133 | 173 | 165 | 223 |
| Africa | 66 | 78 | 87 | 80 | 66 |
| Australia, New Zealand & Oceania | 76 | 115 | 56 | 44 | 70 |
| Total outbound - nights | 53,112 | 51,985 | 53,652 | 53,515 | 56,753 |
| EU1 | 38,988 | 37,103 | 40,237 | 40,564 | 42,504 |
| Other Europe2 | 1,348 | 1,641 | 1,460 | 1,263 | 972 |
| North America | 5,838 | 5,691 | 6,295 | 5,877 | 6,226 |
| Central, South & Other Americas | 1,050 | 492 | 526 | 629 | 886 |
| Asia & Middle East | 2,977 | 2,467 | 2,492 | 2,811 | 3,332 |
| Africa | 1,029 | 950 | 1,386 | 1,244 | 1,282 |
| Australia, New Zealand & Oceania | 1,883 | 3,642 | 1,256 | 1,127 | 1,552 |
| Nights | |||||
| Average length of stay | 8.0 | 7.9 | 8.0 | 7.5 | 7.4 |
| EU1 | 6.9 | 6.6 | 7.0 | 6.6 | 6.4 |
| Other Europe2 | 7.0 | 8.6 | 10.3 | 7.0 | 6.9 |
| North America | 15.0 | 14.1 | 13.9 | 13.9 | 12.7 |
| Central, South & Other Americas | 14.1 | 12.6 | 16.5 | 15.8 | 15.7 |
| Asia & Middle East | 16.8 | 18.6 | 14.4 | 17.0 | 14.9 |
| Africa | 15.5 | 12.1 | 16.0 | 15.5 | 19.5 |
| Australia, New Zealand & Oceania | 24.8 | 31.7 | 22.6 | 25.7 | 22.3 |
| €million | |||||
| Total outbound - expenditure | 5,342.5 | 5,384.2 | 5,590.2 | 6,022.1 | 6,539.4 |
| EU1 | 3,590.5 | 3,456.2 | 3,831.3 | 4,185.9 | 4,438.7 |
| Other Europe2 | 138.1 | 173.1 | 156.4 | 158.1 | 122.2 |
| North America | 787.0 | 819.0 | 890.2 | 925.7 | 1,045.5 |
| Central, South & Other Americas | 142.1 | 77.0 | 88.6 | 96.1 | 153.0 |
| Asia & Middle East | 346.2 | 371.6 | 347.0 | 368.5 | 476.2 |
| Africa | 120.0 | 111.4 | 142.3 | 168.4 | 117.6 |
| Australia, New Zealand & Oceania | 218.5 | 376.0 | 134.2 | 119.4 | 186.3 |
| 1From 1st July 2013, EU includes Croatia. | |||||
| 2Other Europe includes Croatia until the 30th June 2013. | |||||
| Source: CSO | |||||
Interactive table: StatBank link
Over 7.6 million outbound trips were undertaken by Irish residents in 2016. The average length of stay on outbound trips was 7.4 nights, varying from 6.4 nights within the European Union, 12.7 nights in North America and 22.3 nights in Australia, New Zealand and Oceania. Irish residents spent a total of €6,539 million on outbound trips during 2016, just over two thirds (67.9%) of this expenditure was spent within the European Union.
| 20.4 Domestic travel (overnight trips) by Irish residents - number of trips, number of nights, average length of stay and expenditure by reason for journey, 2012 - 2016 | |||||
| '000 | |||||
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | |
| Total domestic - trips | 8,291 | 8,413 | 8,991 | 9,125 | 9,282 |
| Holiday | 4,036 | 4,073 | 4,436 | 4,658 | 4,830 |
| Business | 350 | 364 | 453 | 407 | 425 |
| Visiting friends/relatives | 2,765 | 2,988 | 2,918 | 2,921 | 3,032 |
| Education & training | 155 | 142 | 128 | 167 | 153 |
| Sporting events | 295 | 269 | 396 | 331 | 290 |
| Work/looking for work | 130 | 84 | 101 | 80 | 83 |
| Other1 | 560 | 493 | 559 | 559 | 468 |
| Total domestic - nights | 23,703 | 24,195 | 26,086 | 25,267 | 25,435 |
| Holiday | 12,771 | 13,986 | 14,424 | 14,751 | 15,016 |
| Business | 693 | 616 | 904 | 672 | 752 |
| Visiting friends/relatives | 7,033 | 7,095 | 7,335 | 6,877 | 7,224 |
| Education & training | 1,046 | 721 | 745 | 952 | 751 |
| Sporting events | 567 | 495 | 755 | 630 | 561 |
| Work/looking for work | 442 | 266 | 368 | 259 | 209 |
| Other1 | 1,149 | 1,016 | 1,556 | 1,126 | 921 |
| Nights | |||||
| Average length of stay | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 2.7 |
| Holiday | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.1 |
| Business | 2.0 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.8 |
| Visiting friends/relatives | 2.5 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 2.4 |
| Education & training | 6.8 | 5.1 | 5.8 | 5.7 | 4.9 |
| Sporting events | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 1.9 |
| Work/looking for work | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 2.5 |
| Other1 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| €million | |||||
| Total domestic - expenditure | 1,514.2 | 1,533.0 | 1,713.5 | 1,725.3 | 1,776.1 |
| Holiday | 876.2 | 947.2 | 992.8 | 1,070.4 | 1,123.9 |
| Business | 80.5 | 84.2 | 110.3 | 98.0 | 104.7 |
| Visiting friends/relatives | 289.6 | 284.8 | 327.0 | 296.5 | 294.5 |
| Education & training | 53.4 | 46.4 | 40.6 | 60.7 | 52.6 |
| Sporting events | 53.3 | 49.9 | 67.3 | 58.7 | 63.3 |
| Work/looking for work | 37.9 | 16.9 | 21.0 | 17.9 | 18.1 |
| Other1 | 123.4 | 103.6 | 154.5 | 123.1 | 119.0 |
| 1Other includes Health & Medical, Religious, Shopping and other reasons not elsewhere specified. | |||||
| Source: CSO | |||||
Interactive table: StatBank link
| Holiday | Business | Visiting Friends/Relatives | Education and Training | Sporting Events | Other incl. Work/Looking for Work | |
| 2012 | 4036 | 350 | 2765 | 155 | 295 | 690 |
| 2013 | 4073 | 364 | 2988 | 142 | 269 | 577 |
| 2014 | 4436 | 453 | 2918 | 128 | 396 | 660 |
| 2015 | 4658 | 407 | 2921 | 167 | 331 | 639 |
| 2016 | 4830 | 425 | 3032 | 153 | 290 | 551 |
Irish residents took almost 9.3 million domestic trips in 2016. The average length of stay for domestic trips was 2.7 nights, resulting in a total of 25.4 million bed nights. Holidays accounted for more than half of all domestic trips (52%), while over 3 million trips (32.7%) were to visit friends or relatives. Total expenditure by Irish residents on domestic trips for 2016 amounted to €1,776 million with spending on holidays increasing by 5.0% in 2016 to €1,124 million.
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