CSO - Central Statistics Office Ireland

27/06/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 27/06/2024 17:02

Inbound Tourism May 2024

Foreign visitors increase 8.5% in May 2024

Online ISSN: 2009-6747
CSO statistical publication, 27 June 2024, 11am

Key Findings

  • Some 622,300 foreign visitors completed a trip to Ireland in May 2024, an increase of 8.5% compared with May 2023.

  • The largest contingent of visitors (34.9%) came from Great Britain, followed by the United States (20.2%), and then Germany (7.4%).

  • The visitors stayed a total of 4,462,100 nights in the country, marginally less (-0.3%) than May 2023.

  • The visitors' most frequent reason (45.1%) for travelling to Ireland was for holiday or leisure.

  • The visitors spent €810.6 million in total on their trips, a rise of 29.0% when compared with May 2023.

Statistician's Comment

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (27 June 2024) released Inbound Tourism May 2024.

Commenting on the release, Gregg Patrick, Statistician in the Tourism and Travel Division, said:

"The results show that 622,300 foreign visitors departed Ireland on oversea routes in May 2024, an increase of 8.5% compared with May 2023.

Some 34.9% of the visitors were from Great Britain, 20.2% were from the United States, and 7.4% were from Germany.

Typically, their visit lasted 7.2 nights.

Their most frequent reason for their journey (45.1%) was for holiday or leisure purposes.

More of the visitors stayed in hotels (50.1%) than in any other accommodation type, and the typical cost of their visit was €1,303 (comprising €334 on fare, €51 on prepayments, €437 on accommodation, and €480 on day-to-day expenditure)."

Editor's Note

The Inbound Tourism series is a new statistical series based on an updated sampling methodology and data collection process. This release for May 2024 publishes results for January, February and March 2023 for the first time. For more information, including an update on the implementation of the new series, see Background Notes for more details.

Foreign visitors in the context of this release refers to overseas residents who have stayed at least one night in Ireland. These overseas residents include both Irish and non-Irish nationals but specifically exclude residents of Northern Ireland.

Foreign visitors who depart Ireland via the airports and seaports of Northern Ireland are not captured in the survey.

Headline Text

Some 622,300 foreign residents completed their visits to Ireland in May 2024, an increase of 8.5% compared with May 2023. These visitors had spent 4.5 million nights in Ireland, a decrease of -0.3% compared with the same month in 2023. The visitors' average length of stay was 7.2 nights, down 0.6 nights from May 2023. The visitors expended €810.6 million on their trips, an increase of 29.0% compared with May 2023. The average cost of their trips in May 2024 was €1,303, whereas their average cost 12 months previously was €1,096.

Inbound Tourism, May 2024 versus May 2023
May 2023 May 2024 Change
Visitors ('000s) 573.3 622.3 49.0 8.5%
Nights ('000s) 4,476.1 4,462.1 -14.0 -0.3%
Average length of stay (nights) 7.8 7.2 -0.6 -7.7%
Expenditure (€million) 628.3 810.6 182.3 29.0%
Mean expenditure (€) 1,096 1,303 207 18.9%
null
Created with Highcharts 9.3.3Chart context menuSource: CSO IrelandJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighcharts.comFigure 1: Foreign resident overnight visitors departing Ireland on overseas routes, 2023 and 2024
2024
2023
0200400600800
'000s
X-axis label 2024 2023
Jan 451.9 400
Feb 433.3 337
Mar 521.8 425.2
Apr 549.1 461.9
May 622.3 573.3
Jun 619.9
Jul 650.2
Aug 737.6
Sep 582.1
Oct 577.4
Nov 447.5
Dec 445.2

Departing Passenger Categories

In total, 2,057,800 passengers departed Ireland on overseas routes in May 2024, an increase of 8.4% compared with May 2023. The majority of departing passengers (61.0%) were Irish residents heading outbound for tourism or other purposes. A further 8.8% were same day visitors, comprising Northern Ireland residents heading outbound via an airport or seaport in the Republic of Ireland (3.3%), foreign resident transfer passengers (4.6%), or other foreign resident same day visitors (0.9%). Some 30.2% of the departing passengers were foreign resident overnight visitors, constituting 622,300 visitors in total. The remainder of this release focuses exclusively on the characteristics and activities of these foreign resident overnight visitors (referred to simply as foreign visitors).

Table 1: Passengers departing Ireland on overseas routes by category
Table 1: Passengers departing Ireland on overseas routes by category 000's
Category Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
All passengers 2023 1,229.8 1,212.4 1,479.9 1,762.2 1,897.8 2,086.3 2,177.2 2,194.3 1,910.1 1,829.7 1,361.5 1,484.9 20,626.0
2024 1,281.7 1,288.5 1,654.2 1,738.4 2,057.8 8,020.6
Outbound Irish 2023 715.1 770.9 902.5 1,108.6 1,106.2 1,231.5 1,278.5 1,207.0 1,139.4 1,084.6 788.4 892.8 12,225.4
2024 721.2 761.1 1,003.5 1,031.1 1,255.4 4,772.4
Same day visitors 2023 114.7 104.6 152.2 191.7 218.3 235.0 248.5 249.7 188.6 167.8 125.6 146.8 2,143.4
2024 108.6 94.1 128.8 158.2 180.1 669.8
of which
Northern Irish 2023 49.8 60.2 81.7 104.9 100.9 107.9 128.1 115.5 84.4 68.1 53.9 55.8 1,011.3
2024 48.2 47.8 59.8 63.9 68.0 287.7
Transfers 2023 47.6 33.4 56.9 76.0 100.1 101.5 102.8 97.1 86.4 78.1 50.4 68.3 898.6
2024 42.2 26.8 50.0 68.2 94.1 281.3
Other same day visitors 2023 17.3 11.0 13.6 10.8 17.3 25.5 17.6 37.1 17.7 21.6 21.2 22.7 233.5
2024 18.2 19.5 19.1 26.1 18.0 100.9
Overnight foreign resident visitors 2023 400.0 337.0 425.2 461.9 573.3 619.9 650.2 737.6 582.1 577.4 447.5 445.2 6,257.3
2024 451.9 433.3 521.8 549.1 622.3 2,578.4

Figure 2: Passengers departing Ireland on overseas routes by category, May 2024

© Central Statistics Office, Ireland
https://data.cso.ie/table/ITM01

\n\n').text(); var isSnippetPrivate = t4Sdk.pxWidget.utility.isSnippetPrivate("chart", snippet); if(isSnippetPrivate) { $("#px-stat-widget-483709").addClass("px-stat-widget-error"); pxWidget.queue(null, "px-stat-widget-483709"); }

Detailed Residency

Of the 622,300 foreign visitors who departed Ireland on overseas routes in May 2024, the highest proportion (34.9%) was from Great Britain, accounting for 217,200 of the visitors in total. The second highest proportion (20.1%) was from the United States, accounting for 125,400 visitors. The third highest proportion (7.4%) came from Germany comprising a further 46,300 visitors. This visitor profile remains largely unchanged from May 2023 when 34.8% of the visitors were from Great Britain, 18.4% from the United States, and 7.7% from Germany.

Table 2: Foreign resident overnight visitors departing Ireland on overseas routes by detailed residency
Table 2: Overnight foreign resident visitors by detailed residence 000's
Category Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
Overnight foreign resident visitors 2023 400.0 337.0 425.2 461.9 573.3 619.9 650.2 737.6 582.1 577.4 447.5 445.2 6,257.3
2024 451.9 433.3 521.8 549.1 622.3 2,578.4
Great Britain 2023 155.9 148.3 168.8 189.8 199.6 227.8 240.8 259.9 205.9 204.7 182.8 187.0 2,371.4
2024 191.2 199.0 199.5 210.8 217.2 1,017.7
Belgium, Netherlands & 2023 21.7 12.6 13.1 22.8 23.1 24.8 21.1 33.2 21.2 22.6 21.4 23.6 261.2
Luxembourg 2024 25.9 25.4 26.3 20.2 30.6 128.3
Denmark, Norway, Sweden 2023 4.2 4.3 6.7 11.4 19.0 12.8 18.1 12.8 13.4 18.3 10.6 10.8 142.3
& Finland 2024 10.5 9.5 11.2 15.3 16.9 63.4
France 2023 22.8 25.3 23.2 32.5 46.5 28.2 40.2 57.7 28.8 29.2 22.2 27.2 383.7
2024 21.5 21.2 28.7 36.6 41.4 149.4
Germany 2023 25.2 20.1 30.0 42.2 44.3 44.9 44.8 47.9 46.8 44.9 29.6 25.8 446.4
2024 26.2 21.9 34.0 40.0 46.3 168.4
Italy 2023 13.2 12.3 12.8 11.4 23.1 15.9 24.6 39.7 18.3 20.4 14.6 16.6 223.0
2024 22.0 14.3 20.8 22.4 19.6 99.1
Spain & Portugal 2023 27.0 20.7 23.9 21.3 17.7 21.1 25.3 43.8 32.8 35.5 26.4 38.2 333.8
2024 21.8 28.1 26.9 30.7 23.7 131.1
Other Europe (2)* 2023 46.4 33.6 36.4 31.1 53.4 35.8 40.3 38.4 35.9 30.4 35.1 32.6 449.4
2024 44.7 41.3 41.8 38.8 43.6 210.2
Australia & New Zealand 2023 12.2 4.8 5.5 7.1 8.1 17.1 16.2 15.4 17.9 13.2 7.3 9.0 133.7
2024 10.9 4.1 5.2 8.1 11.7 40.2
Canada 2023 4.5 5.3 8.8 7.4 18.1 20.9 19.1 22.7 22.8 18.8 5.7 6.3 160.4
2024 6.4 5.6 11.5 16.4 23.5 63.3
USA 2023 46.5 36.2 81.2 74.0 105.4 148.2 141.3 142.6 117.4 122.1 75.1 53.3 1,143.3
2024 50.2 46.6 101.4 89.3 125.4 412.9
Other residencies 2023 20.4 13.5 14.7 10.8 15.2 22.5 18.6 23.6 20.7 17.0 16.7 14.7 208.5
2024 20.5 16.3 14.4 20.6 22.6 94.3
* See Background Notes table Other Europe (2) for list of countries in this group.

Figure 3: Foreign resident overnight visitors departing Ireland on overseas routes by detailed residency, May 2024

© Central Statistics Office, Ireland
https://data.cso.ie/table/ITM02

\n\n').text(); var isSnippetPrivate = t4Sdk.pxWidget.utility.isSnippetPrivate("chart", snippet); if(isSnippetPrivate) { $("#px-stat-widget-485770").addClass("px-stat-widget-error"); pxWidget.queue(null, "px-stat-widget-485770"); }

Nights in Ireland

Foreign visitors who departed Ireland on overseas routes in May 2024 spent a total of 4,462,100 nights in the country. Broken down by residency, Other Europe visitors spent more nights in the country than any other residency group, accounting for 1,669,100 (37.4%) of the nights. The next most important visitor group, in terms of nights spent, was the United States and Canada, making up 1,248,800 (28.0%) of the total nights. Visitors from Great Britain were third most important, accounting for a further 1,041,300 (23.3%) of the nights. Other visitors made up 502,800 (11.3%) of the nights. Compared with May 2023, the total visitor nights in the country remains largely the same (decreasing by just 0.3%). However, the average length of stay decreased significantly, from 7.8 nights in May 2023 to 7.2 nights in May 2024.

Table 3: Number of bednights spent in Ireland by foreign resident visitors by area of residence
Table 3: Number of bednights spent in Ireland by foreign resident visitors by area of residence 000's
Area of residence Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
Overnight foreign resident visitors 2023 3,696.2 2,443.3 3,144.1 3,667.5 4,476.1 4,518.2 5,643.8 7,337.7 4,649.8 3,958.2 3,082.3 4,504.3 51,121.5
2024 3,813.8 2,669.0 3,109.8 3,488.3 4,462.1 17,543.0
Great Britain 2023 1,030.8 630.1 736.1 1,076.2 902.5 1,105.3 1,266.5 1,822.1 1,244.2 910.3 746.4 937.3 12,407.8
2024 1,070.9 758.0 805.3 982.6 1,041.3 4,658.1
Other Europe (3)* 2023 1,450.8 1,100.7 1,342.7 1,587.5 2,148.6 1,596.6 2,306.6 3,286.8 1,594.0 1,330.3 1,156.8 2,202.9 21,104.5
2024 1,489.4 1,050.9 1,252.1 1,259.5 1,669.1 6,721.0
USA & Canada 2023 486.8 314.0 662.8 738.2 1,039.9 1,383.3 1,386.1 1,416.8 1,112.0 1,171.5 700.2 798.2 11,209.9
2024 580.1 456.6 778.4 910.0 1,248.8 3,973.8
Other residencies 2023 727.7 398.4 402.5 265.6 385.0 433.0 684.6 812.0 699.5 546.2 478.8 566.0 6,399.3
2024 673.4 403.5 274.1 336.3 502.8 1,351.0
* See Background Notes table Other Europe (3) for list of countries in this group.

Figure 4: Nights spent by foreign resident visitors departing Ireland on overseas routes by residency, May 2023 and May 2024

© Central Statistics Office, Ireland
https://data.cso.ie/table/ITM03

\n\n').text(); var isSnippetPrivate = t4Sdk.pxWidget.utility.isSnippetPrivate("chart", snippet); if(isSnippetPrivate) { $("#px-stat-widget-483710").addClass("px-stat-widget-error"); pxWidget.queue(null, "px-stat-widget-483710"); }
Table 4: Average length of stay in Ireland of overnight foreign resident visitors by area of residence
Table 4: Average length of stay in Ireland of overnight foreign resident visitors by area of residence nights
Area of residence Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
Overnight foreign resident visitors 2023 9.2 7.3 7.4 7.9 7.8 7.3 8.7 9.9 8.0 6.9 6.9 10.1 8.2
2024 8.4 6.2 6.0 6.4 7.2 6.8
Great Britain 2023 9.0 8.5 9.2 9.2 9.5 8.7 10.8 12.0 8.1 6.6 7.2 12.6 9.4
2024 8.6 6.5 6.6 6.2 7.5 7.1
Other Europe (3)* 2023 6.6 4.2 4.4 5.7 4.5 4.9 5.3 7.0 6.0 4.4 4.1 5.0 5.2
2024 5.6 3.8 4.0 4.7 4.8 4.6
USA & Canada 2023 9.5 7.6 7.4 9.1 8.4 8.2 8.6 8.6 7.9 8.3 8.7 13.4 8.6
2024 10.3 8.7 6.9 8.6 8.4 8.3
Other residencies 2023 22.3 21.8 19.9 14.8 16.5 10.9 19.7 20.8 18.1 18.1 19.9 23.9 18.7
2024 21.4 19.8 14.0 11.7 14.6 16.3
* See Background Notes table Other Europe (3) for list of countries in this group.

Reason for Visit

Among the 622,300 foreign visitors departing Ireland on overseas routes in May 2024, more had come to holiday than for any other reason. Some 280,400 (45.1%) had holiday or leisure as the main reason for their trip. The next most likely reason was to visit family or friends, with 182,000 (29.2%) of the visitors coming for this purpose. A further 95,200 (15.3%) of the visitors had come for business or work-related reasons. This differed significantly from May 2023 when 39.7% had come for holidays, 35.8% to visit family or friends, and 12.9% for business or work.

Table 5: Overnight foreign resident visitors by reason for visit
Table 5: Overnight foreign resident visitors by reason for visit 000's
Main reason Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
All reasons 2023 400.0 337.0 425.2 461.9 573.3 619.9 650.2 737.6 582.1 577.4 447.5 445.2 6,257.3
2024 451.9 433.3 521.8 549.1 622.3 2,578.4
Business 2023 50.1 64.0 74.5 62.8 74.1 88.4 71.8 81.8 96.5 91.7 84.7 78.1 918.6
2024 58.7 88.8 81.8 86.6 95.2 411.1
Holiday, leisure or recreation 2023 107.9 98.3 164.5 168.5 227.5 264.4 292.8 348.1 275.8 268.2 177.0 145.5 2,538.6
2024 159.5 153.6 243.4 228.6 280.4 1,065.5
Visit friends or relatives 2023 217.0 136.0 148.9 197.9 205.4 205.2 226.7 249.0 184.7 181.5 163.4 180.5 2,296.3
2024 211.7 158.0 153.3 196.9 182.0 901.9
Other reasons 2023 25.0 38.7 37.3 32.7 66.3 61.9 58.8 58.7 25.1 36.0 22.4 41.0 503.9
2024 22.0 32.9 43.3 37.0 64.7 199.9

Figure 5: Foreign resident overnight visitors departing Ireland on overseas routes by main reason for visit, May 2024

© Central Statistics Office, Ireland
https://data.cso.ie/table/ITM04

\n\n').text(); var isSnippetPrivate = t4Sdk.pxWidget.utility.isSnippetPrivate("chart", snippet); if(isSnippetPrivate) { $("#px-stat-widget-483712").addClass("px-stat-widget-error"); pxWidget.queue(null, "px-stat-widget-483712"); }

Accommodation

Among the 622,300 foreign visitors who departed Ireland on overseas routes in May 2024, some 311,900 (50.1%) stayed in a hotel. Another 204,700 (32.9%) of the visitors had used family or own property as their main accommodation type. A further 35,300 (5.7%) of the visitors used guest house/bed & breakfast as their main accommodation type, while 28,400 (4.6%) of the foreign visitors used rented/self-catering as their main accommodation type. By way of comparison, in May 2023 some 234,000 visitors stayed in a hotel, 241,700 in their own property or the property of family or friends and 31,200 stayed in rented/self-catering accommodation types.

Table 6: Overnight foreign resident visitors by main accommodation type
Table 6: Overnight foreign resident visitors by main accommodation type 000's
Accommodation type Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
All types 2023 400.0 337.0 425.2 461.9 573.3 619.9 650.2 737.6 582.1 577.4 447.5 445.2 6,257.3
2024 451.9 433.3 521.8 549.1 622.3 2,578.4
Hotel 2023 121.0 142.9 191.2 181.8 234.0 286.2 276.3 297.0 269.9 266.0 208.2 180.5 2,655.0
2024 162.8 204.7 258.0 252.1 311.9 1,189.6
Guesthouse, B&B 2023 8.5 7.1 16.5 15.4 25.6 24.8 26.7 45.7 46.9 30.4 16.5 11.8 275.9
2024 11.3 17.4 22.3 24.2 35.3 110.5
Family, friend or own 2023 243.4 156.3 171.4 220.3 241.7 231.7 260.4 295.9 210.1 218.2 182.4 203.8 2,635.5
property 2024 246.3 170.2 187.2 215.5 204.7 1,023.9
Rented, self-catering 2023 13.8 14.4 19.4 26.3 31.2 34.9 41.2 36.6 28.2 30.1 17.4 15.7 309.2
2024 14.3 15.5 20.3 25.9 28.4 104.4
Other 2023 13.4 16.3 26.7 18.1 40.8 42.3 45.6 62.3 26.9 32.6 23.0 33.5 381.7
2024 17.2 25.3 34.1 31.3 42.1 150.0

Figure 6: Foreign resident overnight visitors departing Ireland on overseas routes by main accommodation type, May 2023 and May 2024

© Central Statistics Office, Ireland
https://data.cso.ie/table/ITM05

\n\n').text(); var isSnippetPrivate = t4Sdk.pxWidget.utility.isSnippetPrivate("chart", snippet); if(isSnippetPrivate) { $("#px-stat-widget-483713").addClass("px-stat-widget-error"); pxWidget.queue(null, "px-stat-widget-483713"); }

Expenditure

Foreign visitors to Ireland who departed Ireland on overseas routes in May 2024 spent a total of €810.6 million on their trips (an increase of 29.0% compared with May 2023).

Broken down by expense category, the costliest subheading was day-to-day spending (incidental expenditures incurred during their visit such as eating out, entrance fees, public transport, etc, but excluding accommodation), amounting to €299.0 million (36.9% of the total expenditure). The next costliest subheading was accommodation at €272.1 million (33.6% of the total). Fares cost a further €207.7 million (25.6% of the total). Lastly, prepayments (items paid in advance, such as car hire, pre-booked tickets, etc.) comprised just €31.8 million (3.9% of the total).

Overall, in May 2024 the typical foreign visitor spent €1,303 on their trip to Ireland, breaking down as €334 on their fare, €51 on prepayments, €437 on accommodation, and €480 on day-to-day expenses. In May 2023 the comparable mean expenditure on these items was €263, €31, €388, and €414 respectively.

Table 7A: Expenditure of overnight foreign resident visitors by expense category
Table 7A: Expenditure of overnight foreign resident visitors by expense category € millions
Expense category Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
All expenditure 2023 329.5 284.7 427.9 493.8 628.3 841.2 875.4 996.1 800.1 695.1 441.1 514.5 7,327.7
2024 414.1 374.4 558.6 567.4 810.6 2,725.1
Fare 2023 98.4 67.1 104.4 123.1 150.9 240.2 254.1 262.9 200.1 179.3 107.3 101.6 1,889.3
2024 117.1 90.7 141.6 149.3 207.7 706.3
Prepayments 2023 3.6 2.5 6.9 12.1 17.9 25.8 27.6 45.6 33.6 29.8 12.3 35.1 252.8
2024 10.6 7.8 13.1 16.6 31.8 79.9
Accommodation 2023 65.4 83.1 136.4 146.3 222.2 269.7 272.0 315.5 282.2 238.1 139.7 173.2 2,343.7
2024 86.9 114.3 184.6 181.8 272.1 839.7
Day-to-day 2023 162.0 132.1 180.1 212.3 237.3 305.6 321.7 372.2 284.2 247.9 181.8 204.6 2,841.8
2024 199.5 161.6 219.3 219.8 299.0 1,099.2

Table 7B: Mean expenditure of overnight foreign resident visitors by expense category
Table 7B: Mean expenditure of overnight foreign resident visitors by expense category
Expense category Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
All expenditure 2023 824 845 1,006 1,069 1,096 1,357 1,346 1,351 1,375 1,204 986 1,156 1,171
2024 916 864 1,070 1,033 1,303 1,057
Fare 2023 246 199 246 266 263 387 391 356 344 311 240 228 302
2024 259 209 271 272 334 274
Prepayments 2023 9 7 16 26 31 42 42 62 58 52 27 79 40
2024 24 18 25 30 51 31
Accommodation 2023 164 247 321 317 388 435 418 428 485 412 312 389 375
2024 192 264 354 331 437 326
Day-to-day 2023 405 392 424 460 414 493 495 505 488 429 406 460 454
2024 441 373 420 400 480 426

Figure 7: Expenditure of foreign resident overnight visitors departing Ireland on overseas routes by expense category, May 2024

© Central Statistics Office, Ireland
https://data.cso.ie/table/ITM06

\n\n').text(); var isSnippetPrivate = t4Sdk.pxWidget.utility.isSnippetPrivate("chart", snippet); if(isSnippetPrivate) { $("#px-stat-widget-483714").addClass("px-stat-widget-error"); pxWidget.queue(null, "px-stat-widget-483714"); }