Visitors spent 16 per cent less in Ireland last month even though actual tourist numbers were ahead of last year’s monthly total.
There were 604,500 foreign visitors to Ireland in September, an increase of 5 per cent on the same month last year and a rise of 4 per cent on the September 2023 total, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The industry has been struggling with a fall-off in tourist numbers with many businesses reporting a decline in revenue this summer.
Despite the increase in tourist numbers, the CSO data indicated that nights stayed and money spent were down.
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The average length of stay for (overnight) visitors was 7.1 nights in September, down from an average of 7.8 in the same month of last year and eight nights in September 2023.
Overseas visitors stayed a total of 4.3 million nights in the State, a fall of 4 per cent from September 2024.
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In total, visitors spent €570 million on their trips (excluding air fares), down 16 per cent when compared with September 2024, and a decrease of 5 per cent compared with the same month in 2023.
The average per capita expenditure in September was €944, whereas the average expenditure in the corresponding month last year was €1,171, a decline of more than 19 per cent.
Global tourist markets have struggled to recover from the pandemic. Uncertainty around US trade policy is said to be amplifying the trend. The high cost of goods and services here has also been highlighted as a potential turn-off for visitors.
The CSO said the largest contingent of visitors came from Britain (36 per cent) followed by visitors from the United States (25 per cent) while the most frequent reason for travelling to Ireland was for holiday (43 per cent).
