This time of year always seems to put a spring in our staycation step. The month of March traditionally marks the unofficial launch of Ireland’s tourist season as businesses from B&Bs to food trucks, surfing shacks to Shannon cruisers open their doors, shutters and decks to a fresh surge of visitors from home and abroad.
For us travellers, meanwhile, it also yields the impetus for us to start planning, thinking or daydreaming of our next getaway. And, as we’ve all experienced with the renaissance of home holidaying in the pandemic era, Ireland’s depth of diverse destinations and wealth of food and cultural experiences means a break here always delivers the adrenalin rush, flavour burst or switch off we need.
Despite market challenges, the outlook this year for staycations across the island of Ireland continues to look buoyant. Each year, Fáilte Ireland conducts a series of consumer testing to determine insights into our behaviours and attitudes for our staycation habits. According to its domestic tracker, there is a love for getaways at home. From weeklong road-trips along the Wild Atlantic Way, weekend city breaks from Derry to Waterford and everything in between from food, music or yoga festivals to daycations to a local museum, market or mountain top, there is always a new place to rediscover.
In fact, “almost half of residents on the island of Ireland (44 per cent) are intending on taking a general leisure break in the Republic of Ireland in 2025”, a spokesperson for Fáilte Ireland said. Those intentions are in line with last year which is considered “very encouraging” according to the tourism authority. And this strong market growth which bolstered during the Covid-19 pandemic, sees consumers in the constant quest for discovering new areas of Ireland they haven’t experienced before. From Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands to an island escape, the country’s ever-dynamic tourism offering means there’s always a new region, hotel or hotspot to discover.
Another huge player according to Fáilte Ireland for this year is one mirrored by international travel patterns: summer concerts and events. A lofty 28 per cent of Irish residents attended a concert over the summer months last year, with half of these concert goers staying in paid accommodation. That all meant a huge boost to the local economy and the role of concerts and big events is likely to have a similar impact on tourism this summer. And consumers can enjoy some big players to look forward to this year. Charli XCX will be bringing her Brat summer to Malahide Castle in Dublin and Belfast’s Ormeau Road this June while the highly anticipated Oasis reunion is expected to result in a huge swell in visitors to the capital this summer with back to back shows at Croke Park this August. Add in smaller events in more intimate arenas across the country and entertainment will be a big ticket tourism event for the year ahead.
“Events are a key driver as a reason to visit and 2025 is set be a giant one for Northern Ireland,” said Fiona Cunningham, a spokesperson for Tourism NI. “The 153rd Open Championship returns to Royal Portrush Golf Club from July 13th-20th and we’re getting ready to welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors from all around the world.” It should be a huge driver for the area: when the competition was last held at the golf course in 2019, it became the biggest sporting event ever held in Northern Ireland. This year’s edition may well surpass that.
However, if you like to enjoy your walks without holding a five iron, the region has many epic outdoor options on offer, from the cliff-kissing Gobbins attraction on the Causeway Coast, the St Patrick’s Way pilgrim walk in Co Down, to the stunning Slieve Gullion hike and forest drive in Co Armagh. It’s little wonder 21 per cent of us in the State took a break north of the Border last year.
Wherever you venture to this year, whether it’s a new county to add to your Irish jigsaw or your first visit to Northern Ireland, you’re guaranteed to make some incredible memories and we hope this staycation guide will inspire you along your way.
For more on travelling in Ireland, take a look at discoverireland.ie and discovernorthernireland.com
