Travel sector remains in pandemic doldrums in second quarter

Irish residents made just under a million domestic trips and spent €166 million on such travel in the second quarter, up significantly on the same quarter last year, but way below pre-pandemic levels.

The latest travel statistics from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) point to a modest pick-up in travel activity between April and June amid the easing of restrictions.

The figures show Irish residents took 990,000 domestic trips during the three-month period, up significantly on the 237,000 trips made in the second quarter of 2020 when the State was in lockdown, but 65.4 per cent below the same period in 2019, the pre-pandemic benchmark.

These trips resulted in almost three million bed nights, of which just under 15 per cent were spent in hotel accommodation.

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Expenditure on domestic trips for the period amounted to €166 million, the CSO said. Those on holidays accounted for €113 million of this, while those visiting friends or relatives spent €32 million.

When compared with the same period two years ago, expenditure on holidays was down 62.7 per cent, while spending on trips to visit friends or relatives was down by 58.9 per cent.

Persons who stayed in hotel accommodation accounted for 208,000 domestic trips in the second quarter of 2021, while those staying with family or friends accounted for 449,000 trips.

The corresponding figures for the second quarter of 2019 show that there were over one million domestic trips with hotel accommodation and 950,000 stayed with friends or relatives.

This represents decreases of 80 per cent and 52.7 per cent respectively, the CSO said.