CSO figures for inbound tourism in May 2025 show a drop in expenditure
The latest figures indicate an ongoing drop in expenditure by overseas visitors, with figures for May down 21% compared to last year.
IHF President Michael Magner says:
“The decline in tourism spend is part of an ongoing trend so far this year. Our primary fear is that, if this continues into the summer, it could have a very significant negative impact on our industry.
This would pose an enormous challenge for tourism businesses nationwide which are already struggling under unsustainable increases in operating costs across all aspects of their businesses.”
Commenting on the CSO’s figures for trips by overseas visitors, he states that, while there is still a disparity between the published figures and industry data, the May figures are now more in line with what businesses have been reporting on the ground, taking account of the contribution by domestic tourism.
“Our own figures indicate that hotel room occupancy levels are holding steady so far this year compared with 2024. However, this is only part of the picture. It conceals significant challenges around business margins due to already exceptionally high business costs, which continue to rise while revenues remain flat.
These challenges are reflected right across our tourism industry at a time when we must remain vigilant to other difficult headwinds, including global political and economic uncertainty and financial challenges within our key source markets.”
