The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) reveal that Ireland experienced a surge of 8.5% in international arrivals last month, even though these visitors spent shorter durations in the country. In comparison to 573,300 in May of the preceding year, 622,300 overseas trips were made to Ireland. Even with this growth, the length of stay in the country merely saw a significant yield rise. Visitors spent a total of €810.6 million, marking a 29% hike from May 2023.
Additionally, the average expenditure of a visitor in Ireland, including airfare, amounted to €1,303 this May, which is an increment of €207 or 18.9% compared to the previous year.
Considering visitor demographics, the United Kingdom contributed the highest portion of tourists (34.9%), trailed by the USA (20.2%), and Germany (7.4%).
Notably, the average duration of stay dipped by 7.7% from 7.8 nights to 7.2 nights. The national total of overnight stays recorded was 4,462,100.
European visitors apart from the UK claimed the majority with 1,669,100 (37.4%) of nights stayed, as per CSO statistics. The next primary group, the United States and Canada, held 28% of the total nights, equating to 1,248,800.
British tourists followed, contributing 1,041,300 (23.3%) of the nights.
Accommodation preference leaned towards hotels, with nearly half of all international tourists (311,900) opting for them. This saw a significant rise from 234,000 in 2023, despite many hotels currently housing Ukrainian refugees across various regions in Ireland.
Additionally, 204,700 (32.9%) of these visitors lodged in their own or family properties, whilst 35,300 (5.7%) favoured guest houses or B&Bs, and 28,400 (4.6%) chose rented or self-catering options.
In May 2024, the total count of individuals leaving Ireland on international routes was 2,057,800, marking a 8.4% rise in contrast to May 2023 numbers. A significant 61% proportion of these travellers were Irish inhabitants embarking on trips for vacation or other reasons.
An additional 8.8% comprised of same day travellers, this included residents of Northern Ireland travelling through Irish air or sea ports (3.3%), non-Irish residents switching flights (4.6%) and other non-Irish residents visiting for the day (0.9%).
Close to one-third of those departing, precisely 30.2%, were non-Irish residents staying overnight, which translates to a total of 622,300 travellers.