The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has published Inbound Tourism figures for January 2026.
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) published Inbound Tourism January 2026 today (26 February 2026)
The Inbound Tourism release is published every month and provides unique and timely insights on visitor trips to Ireland.
Inbound Tourism January 2026 – Key Findings
- Some 429,800 foreign visitors completed a trip to Ireland in January 2026, an increase of 27% when compared with January 2025 and down 5% on January 2024.
- Foreign visitors who departed Ireland in January 2026 stayed a total of 3.6 million nights in the country an increase of 27% on January 2025 and down 6% on January 2024.
- Visitors from Great Britain accounted for the largest share (43%), compared with Continental Europe (36%), North America (14%), and the Rest of the World (7%).
- In January 2026, 46% of overnight foreign visitors indicated that the main purpose for their trip was for Visiting Friends & Relatives, 30% said it was for Holidays, Leisure & Recreation, and 18% of trips were for Business reasons.
- The average length of stay for foreign resident overnight visitors was 8.3 nights, down from 8.4 nights in January 2025.
- Expenditure by foreign visitors in January 2026 was estimated at €287 million, up 34% compared with January 2025 (€214 million), and down 3% compared with January 2024 (€297 million).
Commenting on the release, Edward Duffy, Statistician in the Tourism and Travel Division, said:
“The results show that almost 430,000 foreign resident visitors completed a trip to Ireland in January 2026, an increase of 27% compared with January 2025 and a fall of 5% compared with January 2024.
The number of nights spent in Ireland by foreign visitors in January was just less than 3.6 million nights, up 27% when compared with January 2025 and down 6% compared with January 2024. In January 2026, the greatest number of visitors came from Great Britain (43%), followed by Continental Europe (36%), North America (14%) and the Rest of the World (7%).
Comparing visitor numbers in January 2026 with January 2025, those from Great Britain were up 24%, Continental Europe (+30%), North America (+27%), and from the Rest of the World (+29%). The visitors’ expenditure in Ireland (excluding fares) was €287 million in January 2026. Visitors from Continental Europe accounted for €101 million (35%), Great Britain for €85 million (30%), North America for €59 million (20%) and visitors from the Rest of the World for €43 million (15%).
Taken together, this represented an increase of 34% when compared with January 2025, and a decrease of 3% when compared with January 2024.The leading purpose for travel to Ireland in January 2026 was for Visiting Friends & Relatives (46%), followed by Holidays, Leisure & Recreation (30%), and Business trips (18%).”
Read the full report HERE
