Airports data shows 620,000 foreign residents stayed in Ireland in June

Almost 620,000 foreign visitors came and stayed in Ireland in June, with the average holidaymaker remaining for more than a week and spending €1,357 here.

The first release in a new series by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) on inbound tourism shows that a total of 619,900 foreign residents departed Ireland on overseas routes in June 2023, after completing at least one night here.

This represented just under three in 10 (29.7 per cent) of all passengers departing on overseas routes from Ireland during that month. The balance comprised Irish residents heading abroad (59 per cent) and foreign residents who came into and departed the State on the same day (11.3 per cent).

Among foreign visitors making overnight trips to Ireland, more than one in three (36.8 per cent) were from Britain, followed by significant numbers from the United States (23.9 per cent).

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Other countries featuring prominently among visits by foreign residents in June were Germany (7.2 per cent), France (4.5 per cent), the Benelux countries (4 per cent), Spain and Portugal (3.4 per cent), and Canada (3.4 per cent).

Typically, foreign visitors stayed 7.3 nights, with 42.6 per cent saying they came for holiday or leisure purposes. The next most likely reason was to visit friends or relatives (33.1 per cent), with a further 14.3 per cent coming for business or work-related reasons.

Between them, they spent a total of 4,518,200 nights in the State. Residents of other European countries spent the most nights, accounting for 34.3 per cent of overnight stays. Visitors from North America made up 30.6 per cent of overnight stays, while British visitors accounted for 24.5 per cent of nights spent in Ireland.

The majority (46.2 per cent) chose hotels as their main accommodation, with more than a third (37.4 per cent) choosing to stay in their own property, or with friends and relatives. Just 5.6 per cent of overnight visitors used self-catering or rented properties.

Foreign visitors leaving the State in June spent a total of €841.2 million on their trips here. Residents of the USA and Canada were the biggest spenders, accounting for almost half of this expenditure (€409.1 million).

Overall, the typical overnight foreign resident visitor spent €1,357 on their trip to Ireland, with highest costs being for day to day expenses (€493 on average), followed by an average spend of €435 on accommodation, €387 on their fare, and €42 on prepayments (such as car hire and pre-booked tickets).