Foreign Visitors
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (28 February 2024) released Inbound Tourism January 2024.
Commenting on the release, Gregg Patrick, Statistician in the Tourism and Travel Division, said: “The results show that among the 1,281,700 passengers departing Ireland on overseas routes in January 2024, some 451,900 (35.3%) were foreign visitors completing their trips (with the balance being Irish residents heading abroad (56.3%) and foreign same-day visitors (8.5%)). Amongst the 451,900 foreign visitors, some 42.3% were from Great Britain, 11.1% were from the United States, and 5.8% were from Germany.
Typically, their visit lasted 8.4 nights. Their most frequent reason was for visiting friends and family (46.8%). More of the visitors stayed primarily in family/own property (54.5%) than in any other accommodation type, and the mean cost of their visit was €916 (comprising €259 on fare, €24 on prepayments, €192 on accommodation, and €441 on day-to-day expenditure).”
Departing Passenger Categories
In total, 1,281,700 passengers departed Ireland on overseas routes in January 2024. The majority of these (56.3%) were Irish residents heading outbound for tourism or other purposes. A further 8.5% were same day visitors, comprising Northern Ireland residents heading outbound via an airport or seaport in the Republic of Ireland (3.8%), foreign resident transfer passengers (3.3%) or other foreign resident same day visitors (1.4%). Some 35.3% of the departing passengers were foreign resident overnight visitors, constituting 451,900 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)
Detailed Residency
Of the 451,900 foreign visitors who departed Ireland on overseas routes in January 2024, the highest proportion (42.3%) was from Great Britain, accounting for 191,200 of the visitors in total. The second highest proportion (11.1%) was from the United States, accounting for 50,200 visitors. The third highest proportion (5.8%) came from Germany comprising a further 26,200 visitors. Furthermore, 25,900 (5.7%) of the visitors came from the Benelux countries, 22,000 (4.9%) came from Italy, 21,800 (4.8%) from Spain/Portugal, and 21,500 (4.8%) came from France.
Nights in Ireland
Foreign visitors who departed Ireland on overseas routes in January 2024 spent a total of 3,813,800 nights in the country. Broken down by residency, Other Europe visitors spent more nights in the country than any other residency group, accounting for 1,489,400 (39.1%) of the nights. The next most important visitor group, in terms of nights spent, was Great Britain, making up 1,070,900 (28.1%) of the total nights. Visitors from the United States were third most important, accounting for a further 580,100 (15.2%) of the nights. Other visitors made up 673,400 (17.7%) of the nights.
Reason for Visit
Among the 451,900 foreign visitors departing Ireland on overseas routes in January 2024, more had come to visit family & friends than for any other reason. Some 211,700 (46.8%) had visiting family & friends as the main reason for their trip. The next most likely reason was for holiday or leisure, with 159,500 (35.3%) of the visitors coming for this purpose. A further 58,700 (13.0%) of the visitors had come for business or work-related reasons.
Accommodation
Among the 451,900 foreign visitors who departed Ireland on overseas routes in January 2024, some 246,300 (54.5%) used family or own property as their main accommodation type. Another 162,800 (36.0%) of the visitors had stayed in a hotel. A further 14,300 (3.2%) of the visitors used self-catering/rented properties as their main accommodation type, while 11,300 (2.5%) of the foreign visitors used guest house/bed & breakfast as their main accommodation type.
Expenditure
Foreign visitors to Ireland who departed Ireland on overseas routes in January 2024 spent a total of €414.1 million on their trips.
Broken down by expense category, the costliest subheading was day-to-day spending (incidental expenditures incurred during their visit such as eating out, entrance fees, public transport, etc, but excluding accommodation), amounting to €199.5 million (48.2% of the total expenditure). The next costliest subheading was fare at €117.1 million (28.3% of the total). Accommodation cost a further €86.9 million (21.0% of the total). Lastly, prepayments (items paid in advance, such as car hire, pre-booked tickets, etc.) comprised just €10.6 million (2.6% of the total).
Overall, the typical foreign visitor spent €916 on their trip to Ireland, breaking down as €259 on their fare, €24 on prepayments, €192 on accommodation, and €441 on day-to-day expenses.
