More than 582,100 foreign overnight visitors came to State in September

More than 582,100 foreign resident overnight visitors came to the Republic in September, with the latest inbound tourism statistics from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) showing that they spent a total of more than €800 million in the State across the month.

The CSO figures also show that a total of 1,910,100 passengers departed the Republic on overseas routes in September.

While 59.7 per cent of these passengers were Irish residents leaving the country, 30.5 per cent were foreign residents who had spent at least one night in the Republic and were completing their trips.

The 582,100 total for foreign resident overnight visitors to Ireland in September was down from 737,600 foreign visitors during August, and lower than the 619,900 foreign resident overnight visitors recorded in June when the CSO series began.

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The total estimated expenditure of foreign resident overnight visitors in September was €800.1 million, a decrease from a total spend of €996.1 million in August and €841.2 million in June, when visitor numbers were higher.

Of the foreign visitors who departed Ireland on overseas routes in September, the largest proportion were from Britain, at 35.4 per cent. This was followed by 20.2 per cent of visitors from the United States, and 8 per cent from Germany.

Among foreign resident overnight visitors in September, 47.4 per cent (275,800) came for holiday or leisure purposes, while 31.7 per cent came to visit friends or relatives, and 16.6 per cent had come for business or work-related reasons.

Foreign resident overnight visitors spent a total of 4,649,800 nights in the country in September, with 46.4 per cent of visitors (269,900) using a hotel as their main accommodation type.

A further 36.1 per cent of visitors stayed either in their own property or with friends or relatives, while 8.1 per cent used guest houses or bed and breakfasts, and 4.9 per cent stayed in self-catering or rented properties.

The typical foreign visitor to the State in September spent eight nights here, and spent an average of €1,375 on their trip.

Broken down by expense category, day-to-day spending accounted for 35.5 per cent of total expenditure for foreign visitors, while 35.3 per cent of their total spend went on accommodation, 25 per cent on fares, and 4.2 per cent on prepayments such as car hire and pre-booked tickets.

On average, this equated to the typical foreign visitor spending €344 on their fare, €58 on prepayments, €485 on accommodation, and €488 on day-to-day expenses.