The number of foreign tourists visiting Ireland has fallen by 7.5% so far this year, according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
Despite a slight rise in September, the overall number of visits and spending this year remain below 2024 levels. Foreign visitor arrivals in Ireland totaled 4,851,000 from January to September 2025, down from 5,245,000 in the same period of 2024.
Foreign visitors spent a total of 4.3 million nights in Ireland in September, down 4% on a year earlier and 7% lower than September 2023. The average stay was 7.1 nights, compared with 7.8 nights in September 2024 and 8.0 in September 2023.
Tourist spending also declined. Visitors spent more than €570 million in Ireland in September, excluding fares – a 16% drop from the same month in 2024 and 5% less than in 2023.
Great Britain remained the largest source of visitors, accounting for 36% of all arrivals, followed by the United States at 25%. Visitors from North America made up 30% of the total, while those from Continental Europe represented 29% and from the rest of the world 5%.
Compared with September 2024, visitor numbers were up 17% from Great Britain and 7% from North America, but down 6% from Continental Europe and 16% from the rest of the world.
Spending patterns varied by region: visitors from Great Britain accounted for €116 million (20%) of total expenditure, Continental Europe €157 million (28%), North America €243 million (43%), and the rest of the world €55 million (10%).
Holidays remained the main reason for travel, with 43% of visitors coming for leisure, while nearly one in three trips (31%) were to visit friends or relatives.
Edward Duffy, Statistician in the CSO’s Tourism and Travel Division, said the figures highlighted mixed trends.
“The results show that 604,500 foreign visitors departed Ireland on overseas routes in September 2025, an increase of 5% compared with September 2024 and up 4% when compared with September 2023,” he said.
“The number of nights spent in Ireland by foreign visitors in September was just over 4.3 million nights, showing a drop of 4% when compared with September 2024 and down 7% compared with September 2023.”
While September saw modest month-on-month gains, the CSO’s data indicates that inbound tourism for 2025 overall remains below last year’s level, with total visitor numbers down 7.5% to date.
Ahead of the recent Budget, the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation said that the Irish tourism industry was facing “a perfect storm” of cost “increases and capacity constraints”.
According to Fáilte Ireland, for every euro spent by tourists 23c is generated in tax revenue for the exchequer.
Notably, in 2024, Fáilte Ireland said that Irish tourism had lost up to €1.1 billion due to sites like hotels being used for asylum accommodation, and that, at that time, “about 12% of registered tourism accommodation” was being used for asylum claimants and Ukrainians.
The Covid-19 lockdown measures also had a significant negative impact on the tourism sector due to the ban on international travel, from which some businesses have never fully recovered. High energy prices have further contributed to strain.