Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke has confirmed that latest CSO figures mark a powerful year-end boost for tourism, with the numbers of overseas visitors travelling to Ireland up by a significant 34% when compared to this time last year.
“I welcome the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office, which show real momentum building in the market as we move into 2026.
“In December alone, 524,000 overseas visitors made a trip to Ireland, a huge increase of 34% compared with December 2024. Significantly, these visitors spent an estimated €427 million during the month, which is up 30% year‑on‑year, and stayed an average of 9.1 nights. These figures underline the high value of international tourism, and Ireland’s continued attractiveness as a destination.
“Across 2025, more than 6.4 million overseas visitors contributed over €5.5 billion to the Irish economy. The average length of stay, at 7.5 nights, demonstrates the continued appeal and benefit of longer stays.
“The first half of 2025 was more challenged than the same period in 2024 and 2023, likely due to the ongoing global macro‑economic uncertainty, which discretionary travel spending, as well as the impact of the Dublin Airport passenger cap at the beginning of the year. However, performance rallied and strengthened in the second half of the year with growth led by Great Britain and North America, reflecting renewed demand and improved air access. Year on year, tourist numbers were down by 3% on 2024, however 2024 was acknowledged globally as a bumper year for tourism, with numbers in Ireland up 11%. Based on 2023 numbers, numbers were up 2%. Significantly, we have seen growth in the last five consecutive months.
“Looking ahead, the outlook for 2026 is very positive. Air connectivity to the island of Ireland is set to increase by 12% in spring 2026, including strong growth from key tourism markets such as North America, Germany, France and Great Britain. This summer will also see direct flights to Ireland from a record 23 U.S. gateways, including two new Aer Lingus services from Raleigh/Durham and Pittsburgh to Dublin. Scheduled capacity for the St. Patrick’s Festival is set to be 15% above last year’s levels.
“Key priorities for the year ahead include implementing our new strategy, A New Era for Irish Tourism, published in December, which includes deepening and defending tourism from the United States and Great Britain, implementing a new strategy to grow tourism from Mainland Europe, investing in growth markets such as Canada and laying the foundations for long‑term partnerships in India and China. We know the investment made by Tourism Ireland in marketing campaigns results in €25 return for every €1 invested, which provides significant value for money for the Irish economy.
“The move of tourism into the Department of Enterprise represents a real step‑change in our approach, bringing a renewed and targeted focus on supporting SMEs, creating genuine career pathways in hospitality and ensuring that Ireland’s 46,000 small tourism businesses are fully equipped to benefit from the opportunities a thriving tourism industry can deliver.”