Latest tourism numbers point to a continuing decline in inbound visitors, a worrying trend for businesses in the sector.
According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), over half a million tourists (528,100) completed trips to Ireland in April, spending approximately €375 million on their trips, excluding air fares.
But the headline number was down 4 per cent on the same month last year while spending decreased more than 10 per cent.
The figures continue a downward trend in foreign visitor numbers that first emerged last September, a pattern that has raised some eyebrows in the trade which has said it does not necessarily fit with on-the-ground experience.
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Global tourist markets have struggled to recover from the pandemic and uncertainty around US trade policy and the associated volatility on stock markets may now be playing into the trend.
Tourism is one of Ireland’s largest indigenous industries, employing 257,900 people.
The CSO noted “the largest contingent” of visitors came from Britain (41 per cent) followed by visitors from the United States (18 per cent).
The main reason for travelling to Ireland was for holiday (40 per cent) followed by visiting friends or family (38 per cent).
More visitors stayed with family or in their own property (42 per cent) than in any other accommodation type, and the typical visit lasted 6.5 nights, the CSO indicated.
A geographical breakdown of the figures showed that visitors from Britain were up 2 per cent compared with April 2024, while visitors from all other areas were down.
Visitors from continental Europe were down 8 per cent while visitors from North America were down 1 per cent.
When compared with April 2023, visitors from Britain were up 13 per cent while those from the US, continental Europe and the rest of the world were up 8 per cent, 28 per cent and 26 per cent respectively.
Visitors from Britain accounted for €96 million (26 per cent) of the total €375 million spend, continental Europe for €134 million (36 per cent), North America for €121 million (32 per cent), and visitors from the rest of the world for €25 million (7 per cent).
“The April tourism numbers from the CSO this morning show a recovery from the sharp decline reported by the agency in the first quarter,” the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) said.
However it claimed there was a disconnect between the monthly CSO survey and industry data which include airports, hotels and attractions and which reported a robust April compared to a year ago helped by a later Easter period.
ITIC chief executive Eoghan O’Mara Walsh said: “Industry use a variety of data sources, both their own and independently collated, and April was a strong month compared to the same month last year.”
“Industry record bums on seats and heads on pillows as opposed to the CSO sample survey – there remains a misalignment of sorts between the two data sources but it is narrowing and this is welcome,” he said.
