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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 3 2017

Domestic Trips '000 Outbound Trips '000
Quarter 3Quarter 3 Quarter 3Quarter 3
Reason for Journey20162017 20162017
Holiday1,8921,797 1,5271,803
Business6270 149132
Visiting Friends/Relatives913841 490485
Other309326 155152
Total3,1753,033 2,3212,572

Domestic trips fell by 4.5% year on year in Quarter 3 2017

Headline Graph Figure 1 Number of Trips by Reason of Journey - Quarter 3 2017
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Domestic Travel

  • Irish residents took over 3 million domestic trips in Quarter 3 2017, a decrease of 4.5% when compared to the same period twelve months earlier. Each trip had an average duration of 3.4 nights, resulting in 10.4 million bed nights. See Table 1.
  • Holidays accounted for 59.2% of all domestic trips, while 27.7% were to visit friends or relatives. See Table 2.
  • Visitors who stayed in hotel accommodation accounted for almost 1.1 million (35.3%) domestic trips in Quarter 3 2017 while those who stayed with family and friends accounted for almost 0.9 million (29.0%) domestic trips. See Table 4. 
  • Total expenditure on domestic trips in Quarter 3 2017 amounted to €664.4 million. Almost €456 million of this was accounted for by those on holidays, while those visiting friends or relatives spent almost €110 million in the third quarter of 2017. See Table 2.

Outbound Travel

  • Almost 2.6 million outbound trips were undertaken by Irish residents in Quarter 3 2017, an increase of 10.8% over the same period last year.  See Table 5.
  • A total of 22.7 million bed nights were availed of by Irish residents travelling abroad in the third quarter of 2017.  The average length of stay on outbound trips was 8.8 nights. The UK and Spain were the two most popular destinations in terms of trip numbers at 675,000 and 590,000 respectively. See Tables 6 and 6a.
  • Over two thirds (70.1%) of all outbound trips were classified as holidays, while almost a fifth (18.9%) were for the purpose of visiting friends or relatives. See Table 7.
  • Visitors who stayed in self-catering/rented house accommodation accounted for 7.2 million nights, those staying in hotels accounted for almost 6.3 million nights and those staying with family and friends accounted for almost 4.2 million nights. See Table 9.
  • Irish residents spent €2,438.5 million on outbound trips in Quarter 3 2017, of which €1,816.5 million was spent on holidays, almost €294 million on visiting friends and relatives and €138 million on business trips. See Table 7.

Revised weights data

This release contains revised series from Quarter 1 2016 onwards for domestic and outbound travel.  The revisions follow from the use of revised population weights (due to the Census of Population 2016) from the CSO's Demography Unit. The revisions have a small effect on the estimate of domestic trips. For 2016, domestic trip numbers increased by 0.83%, total nights increased by 0.61% and total expenditure increased by 1.21%. The revisions have a minimal effect on the estimate of outbound trips which are calibrated to international passenger data. For 2016, the number of outbound trips decreased by 0.02% with total nights and expenditure both decreasing by 0.01%.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 1 Domestic travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights, Expenditure & Average Length of Stay, Q1 2015 - Q3 2017
                 '000
 20122013201420152016201520162017
       Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-Sep
Total Domestic - Trips8,2918,4138,9919,1259,3591,7312,1813,1872,0262,0882,0553,1752,0411,9082,3633,033
Total Domestic - Nights23,70324,19526,08625,26725,5893,5455,30812,0544,3604,5944,92311,5744,4983,8306,10810,442
                 
                   € million
Total Domestic - Expenditure1,514.21,533.01,713.51,725.31,797.7 269.1393.6701.9360.6 331.1370.0699.4397.2352.9456.0664.4
                   
                   Nights
Average Length of Stay2.92.92.92.82.7 2.02.43.82.2 2.22.43.62.2 2.02.63.4
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 3 2017 Table 1 (XLS 13KB)
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Table 1a Domestic travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights, Expenditure & Average Length of Stay by Region Visited, Q1 2015 - Q3 2017
                '000
 20122013201420152016201520162017
       Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-Sep
Total Domestic - Trips8,2918,4138,9919,1259,3591,7312,1813,1872,0262,0882,0553,1752,0411,9082,3633,033
Border, Midland and Western2,4402,6352,8982,8743,0185756411,0586006776191,0227016157061,084
Southern and Eastern5,8515,7796,0936,2516,3411,1561,5402,1291,4261,4111,4372,1531,3401,2931,6561,949
                 
Total Domestic - Nights23,70324,19526,08625,26725,5893,5455,30812,0544,3604,5944,92311,5744,4983,8306,10810,442
Border, Midland and Western7,0788,0959,1408,5718,5331,2431,7174,2721,3401,5721,5593,6731,7291,2892,2013,852
Southern and Eastern16,62616,09916,94616,69617,0572,3023,5917,7823,0213,0223,3647,9022,7682,5413,9066,591
                 
                   € million
Total Domestic - Expenditure1,514.21,533.01,713.51,725.31,797.7269.1393.6701.9360.6331.1370.0699.4397.2352.9456.0664.4
Border, Midland and Western461.9505.4569.1559.4584.188.4120.3250.0100.7108.7115.9211.1148.5110.0155.0238.3
Southern and Eastern1,052.31,027.61,144.41,165.91,213.5 180.7273.3451.9259.9 222.4254.0488.4248.7 242.9301.0426.1
                    
                   Nights
Average Length of Stay2.92.92.92.82.7 2.02.43.82.2 2.22.43.62.2 2.02.63.4
Border, Midland and Western2.93.13.23.02.8 2.22.74.02.2 2.32.53.62.5 2.13.13.6
Southern and Eastern2.82.82.82.72.7 2.02.33.72.1 2.12.33.72.1 2.02.43.4
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 3 2017 Table 1a (XLS 15KB)
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Table 2 Domestic travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights, Expenditure & Average Length of Stay by Reason for Journey, Q1 2015 - Q3 2017
                 '000
 20122013201420152016201520162017
       Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-Sep
Total Domestic - Trips8,2918,4138,9919,1259,3591,7312,1813,1872,0262,0882,0553,1752,0411,9082,3633,033
Holiday4,0364,0734,4364,6584,8707671,0631,9688609671,0831,8929278321,2431,797
Business350364453407431125108541201151186213611210270
Visiting Friends/Relatives2,7652,9882,9182,9213,045613708797804757608913767689669841
Other11,1409881,1841,1381,014226302368242249246309211275349326
                 
Total Domestic - Nights23,70324,19526,08625,26725,5893,5455,30812,0544,3604,5944,92311,5744,4983,8306,10810,442
Holiday12,77113,98614,42414,75115,0771,6192,8308,4491,8532,1622,7428,1402,0331,6413,2856,917
Business69361690467276418921970194188232105239183187131
Visiting Friends/Relatives7,0337,0957,3356,8777,2381,2571,4662,3831,7711,7341,3092,4461,7491,3921,6322,353
Other13,2062,4983,4232,9672,5114817921,1525435106408844776141,0041,041
                 
                   € million
Total Domestic - Expenditure1,514.21,533.01,713.51,725.31,797.7269.1393.6701.9360.6331.1370.0699.4397.2352.9456.0664.4
Holiday876.2947.2992.81,070.41,135.8138.3233.9503.9194.3195.5227.9488.6223.8189.7265.1455.7
Business80.584.2110.398.0106.327.330.511.428.825.331.613.336.132.728.520.9
Visiting Friends/Relatives289.6284.8327.0296.5297.058.364.698.575.164.754.193.784.583.272.3109.7
Other1268.0216.8283.4260.4258.6 45.264.688.262.4 45.656.4103.852.9 47.390.178.0
                    
                   Nights
Average Length of Stay2.92.92.92.82.72.02.43.82.22.22.43.62.22.02.63.4
Holiday3.23.43.33.23.12.12.74.32.22.22.54.32.22.02.63.9
Business2.01.72.01.61.81.52.01.31.61.62.01.71.81.61.81.9
Visiting Friends/Relatives2.52.42.52.42.42.12.13.02.22.32.22.72.32.02.42.8
Other12.82.52.92.62.5 2.12.63.12.2 2.12.62.92.3 2.22.93.2
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 3 2017 Table 2 (XLS 16KB)
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Table 2a Domestic travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights, Expenditure &
Average Length of Stay by Reason for Journey, 2012 - 2016
     '000
 20122013201420152016
Total Domestic - Trips8,2918,4138,9919,1259,359
Holiday4,0364,0734,4364,6584,870
Business350364453407431
Visiting Friends/Relatives2,7652,9882,9182,9213,045
Education & Training155142128167157
Sporting Events295269396331296
Work/Looking for work130841018084
Other1560493559559477
      
Total Domestic - Nights23,70324,19526,08625,26725,589
Holiday12,77113,98614,42414,75115,077
Business693616904672764
Visiting Friends/Relatives7,0337,0957,3356,8777,238
Education & Training1,046721745952772
Sporting Events567495755630574
Work/Looking for work442266368259220
Other11,1491,0161,5561,126944
      
     € million
Total Domestic - Expenditure1,514.21,533.01,713.51,725.31,797.7
Holiday876.2947.2992.81,070.41,135.8
Business80.584.2110.398.0106.3
Visiting Friends/Relatives289.6284.8327.0296.5297.0
Education & Training53.446.440.660.753.9
Sporting Events53.349.967.358.764.3
Work/Looking for work37.916.921.017.919.2
Other1123.4103.6154.5123.1121.2
      
     Nights
Average Length of Stay2.92.92.92.82.7
Holiday3.23.43.33.23.1
Business2.01.72.01.61.8
Visiting Friends/Relatives2.52.42.52.42.4
Education & Training6.85.15.85.74.9
Sporting Events1.91.81.91.91.9
Work/Looking for work3.43.23.63.22.6
Other12.12.12.82.02.0
1 Other includes Health & Medical, Religious, Shopping and other reasons not elsewhere specified.
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 3 2017 Table 2a (XLS 14KB)
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Table 3 Domestic travel by Irish Residents - Percentage Distribution of Trips taken classified by Method of Booking and Type of
 Booking, Quarter 3, 2016 - 2017
 Type of booking
Method of booking         Package1 %         Transport2 %         Accommodation3 %
 Q3 2016Q3 2017Q3 2016Q3 2017Q3 2016Q3 2017
       
Internet      
    Direct37.448.15.15.526.533.6
    Via travel agent/tour operator13.13.50.50.04.34.1
       
Non internet      
    Direct41.447.53.85.116.118.2
    Via travel agent/tour operator2.70.00.00.30.60.1
       
No booking required0.00.089.688.650.042.3
       
Don't know5.50.90.90.42.41.7
       
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 3 2017 Table 3 (XLS 12KB)
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Table 4 Domestic travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights & Average Length of Stay by Type of Accommodation, Q1 2015 - Q3 2017
                 '000
 20122013201420152016201520162017
       Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-Sep
Total Domestic - Trips8,2918,4138,9919,1259,3591,7312,1813,1872,0262,0882,0553,1752,0411,9082,3633,033
Hotel 3,3133,3823,6303,7043,6668118321,1569049467811,0039369148611,072
Self Catering/Rented House6447248308278641092194039614121240610497247398
Friends/Relatives2,8962,9562,9963,0113,2566017089427607436571,071784680684881
Other11,4381,3511,5351,5831,573210422685266257404695218217570682
                 
Total Domestic - Nights23,70324,19526,08625,26725,5893,5455,30812,0544,3604,5944,92311,5744,4983,8306,10810,442
Hotel6,9776,7817,2077,1337,1431,3991,5512,6011,5821,6811,4922,3401,6301,4881,6362,378
Self Catering/Rented House3,2373,7144,2403,8963,8223368492,4222893888182,1694473179122,245
Friends/Relatives7,9357,6958,1577,9178,5431,2571,5753,2891,7951,7271,5003,4551,8621,4651,7422,906
Other15,5546,0056,4826,3216,0825531,3333,7416947981,1143,6115595601,8172,913
                 
                   Nights
Average Length of Stay2.92.92.92.82.72.02.43.82.22.22.43.62.22.02.63.4
Hotel 2.12.02.01.91.91.71.92.21.81.81.92.31.71.61.92.2
Self Catering/Rented House5.05.15.14.74.43.13.96.03.02.73.85.34.33.33.75.6
Friends/Relatives2.72.62.72.62.62.12.23.52.42.32.33.22.42.22.53.3
Other13.94.44.24.03.9 2.63.25.52.6 3.12.85.22.6 2.63.24.3
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 3 2017 Table 4 (XLS 15KB)
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Table 4a Domestic travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights
& Average Length of Stay by Type of Accommodation, 2012 - 2016
     '000
 20122013201420152016
Total Domestic - Trips8,2918,4138,9919,1259,359
Guesthouse/B&B367330425475416
Own Holiday Home477407444544486
Hotel3,3133,3823,6303,7043,666
Self Catering/Rented House644724830827864
Friends/Relatives2,8962,9562,9963,0113,256
Other1594615666564671
      
Total Domestic - Nights23,70324,19526,08625,26725,589
Guesthouse/B&B9348451,1001,007983
Own Holiday Home1,7872,2462,0182,9422,196
Hotel6,9776,7817,2077,1337,143
Self Catering/Rented House3,2373,7144,2403,8963,822
Friends/Relatives7,9357,6958,1577,9178,543
Other12,8332,9133,3642,3722,903
      
     Nights
Average Length of Stay2.92.92.92.82.7
Guesthouse/B&B2.52.62.62.12.4
Own Holiday Home3.85.54.55.44.5
Hotel2.12.02.01.91.9
Self Catering/Rented House5.05.15.14.74.4
Friends/Relatives2.72.62.72.62.6
Other14.84.75.14.24.3
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 3 2017 Table 4a (XLS 13KB)
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Table 5 Outbound travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights, Expenditure & Average Length of Stay, Q1 2015 - Q3 2017
                 '000
 20122013201420152016201520162017
       Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-Sep
Total Outbound - Trips6,6236,5756,6777,0947,644 1,3501,9262,2181,600 1,5222,0022,3211,7991,6072,1622,572
Total Outbound - Nights53,11251,98553,65253,51556,748 9,44013,26221,1359,678 10,84014,05421,38410,4709,71314,53522,707
                   
                   € million
Total Outbound - Expenditure5,342.55,384.25,590.26,022.16,539.0 1,040.71,510.12,146.71,324.6 1,224.11,582.12,273.31,459.51,240.21,730.22,438.5
                   
                   Nights
Average Length of Stay8.07.98.07.57.4 7.06.99.56.0 7.17.09.25.8 6.06.78.8
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 3 2017 Table 5 (XLS 13KB)
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Table 6 Outbound travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights and Expenditure by Country/Region Visited, Q1 2015 - Q3 2017
                '000
 20122013201420152016 201520162017
       Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-Sep
Total Outbound - Trips6,6236,5756,6777,0947,644 1,3501,9262,2181,6001,5222,0022,3211,7991,6072,1622,572
France630538586632610 97200259761311642169990151249
Germany163164220203230 2944567348595172535461
Italy348284274418362 641301527277921405367132156
Portugal3513223703134791011014350341761838656147259
Spain1,3391,3671,2901,5521,587 195505587264232514573269265594590
United Kingdom (GB & NI)2,2372,4072,3552,2692,463 575516556623606521632704625618675
   Of which : Great Britain1,7842,0111,9651,9332,009 493457470513515435526534519502543
                     Northern Ireland453396390336454 8259851119186106171106116131
Other Europe17727247819551,007 188249276242224269283231272255313
North America388404453422492 99951181108910615314492136168
Asia & Middle East177133173165222 5731314733505584524176
All other areas216232174164192 3745394347533457363324
                  
Total Outbound - Nights53,11251,98553,65253,51556,748 9,44013,26221,1359,67810,84014,05421,38410,4709,71314,53522,707
France5,8255,1765,1295,5655,345 5691,6053,0153767991,1822,8854799441,3612,624
Germany9257311,2981,2141,135 164306346398249276306304266228456
Italy2,8462,1792,3153,0972,916 3487571,4915015666871,3742883459471,640
Portugal3,3752,8713,3372,7463,909 1057791,5752862641,2091,7816562771,0022,438
Spain12,49712,69012,87214,03414,652 1,8244,0856,0132,1122,3434,3745,6702,2651,7934,7965,642
United Kingdom (GB & NI)9,2399,5319,7638,8269,040 1,9881,9882,8771,9732,6681,6692,6252,0782,1172,0412,612
   Of which : Great Britain7,9918,5288,6757,9758,038 1,8151,8462,5511,7632,4251,4782,4161,7191,8711,8142,315
                     Northern Ireland1,2481,0031,0888501,002 172142326210243190210359246227298
Other Europe15,6285,5666,9836,3466,4081,1861,3052,4781,3771,4181,7042,3039831,5461,5002,718
North America5,8385,6916,2955,8776,334 1,2581,2152,1671,2371,0191,2102,6811,4248381,6382,965
Asia & Middle East2,9772,4672,4922,8113,311 1,1754454847075147181,0191,0618564491,246
All other areas3,9625,0833,1683,0003,698 8237786887101,0001,026739932731573366
                  
                   € million
Total Outbound - Expenditure5,342.55,384.25,590.26,022.16,539.01,040.71,510.12,146.71,324.61,224.11,582.12,273.31,459.51,240.21,730.22,438.5
France495.6433.2473.3486.0449.673.4147.3218.347.088.7114.8197.548.673.0141.1219.0
Germany111.599.3138.5126.5160.016.621.944.943.136.838.141.643.530.742.542.4
Italy311.8256.1254.7374.7357.744.596.0161.672.663.680.7184.628.844.9105.1154.5
Portugal299.5246.5302.7269.3382.510.977.4149.131.922.1128.1174.957.426.6109.1260.4
Spain1,093.01,101.41,141.31,317.71,428.6149.9349.2591.2227.4200.8397.3622.0208.5184.2465.6606.5
United Kingdom (GB & NI)871.8924.0973.11,030.3998.3249.6220.8266.6293.3240.3185.4291.4281.1252.8239.1267.8
   Of which : Great Britain789.0864.9897.2946.5913.2229.8204.7240.9271.1226.4170.2268.7248.0229.9215.3245.9
                     Northern Ireland82.759.175.983.885.119.816.125.722.214.015.322.733.122.923.821.9
Other Europe1545.4568.6704.2739.4783.9122.2208.2260.1148.9180.6194.5259.8149.0196.4195.7316.6
North America787.0819.0890.2925.71,051.1191.9218.4292.8222.5185.6254.1323.4288.0180.0277.8375.3
Asia & Middle East346.2371.6347.0368.5472.4106.171.561.4129.497.284.895.2195.2162.688.4125.8
All other areas480.6564.4365.2383.9455.0 75.499.3100.5108.6 108.4104.382.8159.5 89.065.970.2
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 3 2017 Table 6 (XLS 19KB)
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Table 6a Outbound travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights & Average Length of Stay by Region Visited, Q1 2015 - Q3 2017
                '000
 20122013201420152016 201520162017
       Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-Sep
Total Outbound - Trips6,6236,5756,6777,0947,644 1,3501,9262,2181,600 1,5222,0022,3211,799 1,6072,1622,572
EU15,6475,6145,7356,1616,597 1,1201,7061,9931,342 1,3251,7572,0341,480 1,3941,9252,260
Other Europe2194191142181142 39483657 27364534 332744
North America388404453422492 9995118110 89106153144 92136168
Other 394365347329414 93767090 8010390141 8874101
                    
Total Outbound - Nights53,11251,98553,65253,51556,748 9,44013,26221,1359,678 10,84014,05421,38410,470 9,71314,53522,707
EU138,98837,10340,23740,56442,416 5,93810,54217,5256,560 8,07610,86816,6026,871 7,09211,69817,675
Other Europe21,3481,6411,4601,263989 247282270464 231233343182 196177454
North America5,8385,6916,2955,8776,334 1,2581,2152,1671,237 1,0191,2102,6811,424 8381,6382,965
Other 6,9397,5505,6605,8117,009 1,9981,2241,1721,417 1,5141,7441,7571,994 1,5871,0231,612
                    
                   Nights
Average Length of Stay8.07.98.07.57.4 7.06.99.56.0 7.17.09.25.8 6.06.78.8
EU16.96.67.06.66.4 5.36.28.84.9 6.16.28.24.6 5.16.17.8
Other Europe27.08.610.37.07.0 6.45.87.48.1 8.56.57.65.3 5.96.410.4
North America15.014.113.913.912.9 12.712.718.411.2 11.411.417.69.9 9.112.017.7
Other 17.620.716.317.716.9 21.416.216.715.8 18.916.919.614.2 18.013.816.0
1From 1st July 2013, EU includes Croatia.
2Other Europe includes Croatia until the 30th June 2013.
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 3 2017 Table 6a (XLS 15KB)
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Table 6b Outbound travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights,
Expenditure & Average Length of Stay by Region Visited, 2012 - 2016
     '000
 20122013201420152016
Total Outbound - Trips6,6236,5756,6777,0947,644
EU15,6475,6145,7356,1616,597
Other Europe2194191142181142
North America388404453422492
Central, South & Other Americas7439324055
Asia & Middle East177133173165222
Africa6678878066
Australia, New Zealand & Oceania76115564471
      
Total Outbound - Nights53,11251,98553,65253,51556,748
EU138,98837,10340,23740,56442,416
Other Europe21,3481,6411,4601,263989
North America5,8385,6916,2955,8776,334
Central, South & Other Americas1,050492526629869
Asia & Middle East2,9772,4672,4922,8113,311
Africa1,0299501,3861,2441,278
Australia, New Zealand & Oceania1,8833,6421,2561,1271,550
      
     € million
Total Outbound - Expenditure5,342.55,384.25,590.26,022.16,539.0
EU13,590.53,456.23,831.34,185.94,438.2
Other Europe2138.1173.1156.4158.1122.4
North America787.0819.0890.2925.71,051.1
Central, South & Other Americas142.177.088.696.1150.5
Asia & Middle East346.2371.6347.0368.5472.4
Africa120.0111.4142.3168.4117.5
Australia, New Zealand & Oceania218.5376.0134.2119.4187.0
      
     Nights
Average Length of Stay8.07.98.07.57.4
EU16.96.67.06.66.4
Other Europe27.08.610.37.07.0
North America15.014.113.913.912.9
Central, South & Other Americas14.112.616.515.815.7
Asia & Middle East16.818.614.417.014.9
Africa15.512.116.015.519.4
Australia, New Zealand & Oceania24.831.722.625.722.0
1From 1st July 2013, EU includes Croatia.
2Other Europe includes Croatia until the 30th June 2013.
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 3 2017 Table 6b (XLS 14KB)
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Table 7 Outbound travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights, Expenditure & Average Length of Stay by Reason for Journey, Q1 2015 - Q3 2017
                 '000
 20122013201420152016 201520162017
       Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-Sep
Total Outbound - Trips6,6236,5756,6777,0947,644 1,3501,9262,2181,600 1,5222,0022,3211,799 1,6072,1622,572
Holiday3,8173,6593,6754,2194,244 6741,1911,579776 7271,1581,527833 8381,3591,803
Business584652729767897 200210144213 237232149279 205205132
Visiting Friends/Relatives1,4721,6241,6201,4301,747 318357336419 376406490474 387373485
Other1750639652678757 159168159192 182206155213 177226152
                    
Total Outbound - Nights53,11251,98553,65253,51556,748 9,44013,26221,1359,678 10,84014,05421,38410,470 9,71314,53522,707
Holiday34,46231,72633,09535,27634,957 4,8399,14316,0215,273 5,8039,07914,6755,400 4,8949,76716,301
Business2,1992,3942,9802,9054,065 753801563788 1,2579236541,231 757759525
Visiting Friends/Relatives10,50212,14112,76310,29811,841 2,7462,2272,8742,452 2,5512,6034,0102,676 2,7622,2763,979
Other15,9505,7254,8145,0375,886 1,1031,0921,6781,164 1,2291,4492,0451,162 1,3001,7331,902
                    
                   € million
Total Outbound - Expenditure5,342.55,384.25,590.26,022.16,539.0 1,040.71,510.12,146.71,324.6 1,224.11,582.12,273.31,459.5 1,240.21,730.22,438.5
Holiday3,371.63,192.83,391.13,836.33,926.8 543.0981.01,597.6714.6 631.4934.31,599.7761.5 653.91,076.01,816.5
Business631.4812.4812.6880.61,094.1 222.9222.7169.4265.6 288.5279.0180.4346.2 268.0243.8138.0
Visiting Friends/Relatives800.9888.0912.1759.7893.8 168.1170.5225.5195.6 168.0211.9305.0208.9 181.2196.9293.7
Other1538.6491.0474.3545.5624.2 106.7135.8154.2148.9 136.2156.9188.3142.8 137.2213.5190.3
                    
                   Nights
Average Length of Stay8.07.98.07.57.4 7.06.99.56.0 7.17.09.25.8 6.06.78.8
Holiday9.08.79.08.48.2 7.27.710.16.8 8.07.89.66.5 5.87.29.0
Business3.83.74.13.84.5 3.83.83.93.7 5.34.04.44.4 3.73.74.0
Visiting Friends/Relatives7.17.57.97.26.8 8.66.28.65.8 6.86.48.25.6 7.16.18.2
Other17.99.07.47.47.8 7.06.510.66.1 6.77.013.25.5 7.47.712.5
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 3 2017 Table 7 (XLS 17KB)
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Table 7a Outbound travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights, Expenditure
 & Average Length of Stay by Reason for Journey, 2012 - 2016
     '000
 20122013201420152016
Total Outbound - Trips6,6236,5756,6777,0947,644
Holiday3,8173,6593,6754,2194,244
Business584652729767897
Visiting Friends/Relatives1,4721,6241,6201,4301,747
Education & Training102858588100
Sporting Events300222255291264
Work/Looking for work120135115104107
Other1227197198194285
      
Total Outbound - Nights53,11251,98553,65253,51556,748
Holiday34,46231,72633,09535,27634,957
Business2,1992,3942,9802,9054,065
Visiting Friends/Relatives10,50212,14112,76310,29811,841
Education & Training1,1361,0011,0249311,179
Sporting Events1,0819327729201,163
Work/Looking for work2,0782,4361,7221,6511,702
Other11,6551,3561,2961,5351,842
      
     € million
Total Outbound - Expenditure5,342.55,384.25,590.26,022.16,539.0
Holiday3,371.63,192.83,391.13,836.33,926.8
Business631.4812.4812.6880.61,094.1
Visiting Friends/Relatives800.9888.0912.1759.7893.8
Education & Training78.790.172.371.092.8
Sporting Events151.3126.3124.0168.1177.9
Work/Looking for work131.1122.1114.1154.6144.2
Other1177.4152.5163.9151.9209.2
      
     Nights
Average Length of Stay8.07.98.07.57.4
Holiday9.08.79.08.48.2
Business3.83.74.13.84.5
Visiting Friends/Relatives7.17.57.97.26.8
Education & Training11.211.812.010.511.7
Sporting Events3.64.23.03.24.4
Work/Looking for work17.218.015.015.815.9
Other17.36.96.57.96.5
1Other includes Health & Medical, Religious, Shopping and other reasons not elsewhere specified.
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 3 2017 Table 7a (XLS 14KB)
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Table 8 Outbound travel by Irish Residents - Percentage Distribution of Trips taken classified by
Method of Booking and Type of Booking, Quarter 3, 2016 - 2017
 Type of booking
          Package1 %         Transport2 %         Accommodation3 %
 Q3 2016Q3 2017Q3 2016Q3 2017Q3 2016Q3 2017
Method of booking      
       
Internet      
    Direct14.923.386.086.147.750.8
    Via travel agent/tour operator51.250.73.84.58.99.3
       
Non internet      
    Direct7.32.92.32.58.39.8
    Via travel agent/tour operator24.522.31.80.81.11.3
       
No booking required0.00.04.95.431.827.0
       
Don't know2.20.81.40.72.11.9
       
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 3 2017 Table 8 (XLS 12KB)
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Table 9 Outbound travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights & Average Length of Stay by Type of Accommodation, Q1 2015 - Q3 2017
                 '000
 20122013201420152016 201520162017
       Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-Sep
Total Outbound - Trips6,6236,5756,6777,0947,644 1,3501,9262,2181,600 1,5222,0022,3211,799 1,6072,1622,572
Hotel 2,6902,8733,0953,3673,457 710960875821 721924845967 8571,016932
Self Catering/Rented House1,3641,1821,0511,2111,525 170305561176 261425597243 231394693
Friends/Relatives1,6611,7171,6501,6801,841 389374426492 424422537458 384421469
Other1907803882836821 82287356112 116231343131 136331478
                    
Total Outbound - Nights53,11251,98553,65253,51556,748 9,44013,26221,1359,678 10,84014,05421,38410,470 9,71314,53522,707
Hotel 14,49215,41618,07818,19218,936 3,1695,2236,1743,625 3,8575,0365,5754,468 3,7915,3906,263
Self Catering/Rented House14,08113,70511,72012,15114,858 2,0612,3966,1561,537 2,5023,6236,7132,020 1,9943,3967,244
Friends/Relatives14,34413,87514,16014,34113,841 3,1543,0834,6093,496 3,0253,0344,9032,879 2,7032,9354,153
Other110,1958,9899,6958,8329,113 1,0572,5604,1961,020 1,4572,3614,1921,103 1,2252,8135,046
                    
                Nights
Average Length of Stay8.07.98.07.57.4 7.06.99.56.0 7.17.09.25.8 6.06.78.8
Hotel 5.45.45.85.45.5 4.55.47.14.4 5.45.46.64.6 4.45.36.7
Self Catering/Rented House10.311.611.110.09.7 12.17.911.08.8 9.68.511.28.3 8.68.610.5
Friends/Relatives8.68.18.68.57.5 8.18.210.87.1 7.17.29.16.3 7.07.08.9
Other111.211.211.010.611.1 12.98.911.89.1 12.510.212.28.4 9.08.510.6
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 3 2017 Table 9 (XLS 15KB)
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Table 9a Outbound travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights & Average Length
of Stay by Type of Accommodation, 2012 - 2016
     '000
 20122013201420152016
Total Outbound - Trips6,6236,5756,6777,0947,644
Guesthouse/B&B234171213144195
Own Holiday Home148181123109150
Hotel2,6902,8733,0953,3673,457
Self Catering/Rented House1,3641,1821,0511,2111,525
Friends/Relatives1,6611,7171,6501,6801,841
Other1525451545583476
      
Total Outbound - Nights53,11251,98553,65253,51556,748
Guesthouse/B&B1,9311,0221,3769551,361
Own Holiday Home2,5712,7221,6981,3902,290
Hotel14,49215,41618,07818,19218,936
Self Catering/Rented House14,08113,70511,72012,15114,858
Friends/Relatives14,34413,87514,16014,34113,841
Other15,6925,2456,6216,4865,462
      
     Nights
Average Length of Stay8.07.98.07.57.4
Guesthouse/B&B8.26.06.46.67.0
Own Holiday Home17.315.013.812.715.3
Hotel5.45.45.85.45.5
Self Catering/Rented House10.311.611.110.09.7
Friends/Relatives8.68.18.68.57.5
Other110.811.612.111.111.5
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 3 2017 Table 9a (XLS 13KB)
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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 expenditure on car imports of approximately €200 million per annum.

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 Iceland Norway
Albania Isle of Man Russian Federation
Andorra Jersey San Marino
Belarus Liechtenstein Serbia
Bosnia and Herzegovina                             Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of           Switzerland
Faroe Islands Moldova, Republic of Turkey
Gibraltar Monaco                                     Ukraine
Guernsey Montenegro Vatican City 

 

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

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