Tourism Ireland comments on overseas tourism figures for January-September 2024
The CSO (Central Statistics Office) has published inbound tourism figures which provide insights about September 2024 vs September 2023 and emerging trends for the year to date.
Overseas Tourism
Commenting on the figures Alice Mansergh, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said: “Today’s figures from the CSO indicate that revenue from overseas tourism increased by +13% in September 2024, when compared to September of last year. Overseas visitors are down slightly (-1%) for the month and nights are also down (-3%). September was a particularly strong month for tourism from North America, with revenue up +34%, visitors up +19% and nights up +30%. It was a softer month for tourism from Great Britain, with revenue down -4% and visitors down -9%. While visitors from Mainland Europe were down -5%, revenue grew by +7%.
“While monthly figures can move around, it’s illustrative to look at year-to-date data. The CSO figures indicate that Ireland welcomed over 5.2 million overseas tourists for the period January-September 2024 (+10% over the same period in 2023), generating €4.85 billion for the economy (+16%). It is positive to see that both overseas visitor numbers and spend have increased compared to last year. However, visitors are spending on average seven days this year compared to eight days last year. That, combined with the increased costs of doing business for those working in the tourism industry, are current concerns.
“Last year, overseas tourism delivered €6.4 billion in revenue to the island of Ireland and we will exceed that figure this year. We know that the main motivators for people choosing Ireland for a holiday are our spectacular scenery, rich heritage and friendly people. At Tourism Ireland, we are focused on generating demand and targeting visitors that do more, see more, enjoy more – and therefore spend more – during their time here, to help tourism businesses across the island to thrive. We are excited to roll out a strong programme of activity through to end of year – which includes our ‘Home of Halloween’ campaign under way right now, a strong presence at World Travel Market with global tour operators next week, collaboration with air and sea carriers to support demand for key routes, as well as digital and publicity promotions across 14 markets.”
