There has been growing interest in domestic holidays in Ireland this year. Data from Google shows “holiday in Ireland” is being searched more often than at the same point last year, with the trend remaining consistent throughout the summer months, Fáilte Ireland says.
In addition, the tourism agency’s website DiscoverIreland.ie is attracting increased traffic across a number of areas compared with last summer, including content on beaches, walking and hiking experiences, and events taking place across the country.
Domestic tourism has, no doubt, been helped by the recent spate of hot weather. But concerns have been voiced among holidaymakers about price inflation, and anyone looking for a last-minute deal on a staycation for August will face limited availability and some eye-watering prices.
A look at what’s on offer on booking.com in west Cork for the first week of August shows that – as of this week – there is no available accommodation for two adults and two children in Kinsale, Clonakilty, Baltimore or Skibbereen.
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There were some options for Bantry, with six nights in the four-star Maritime hotel costing €1,698 (for a bedroom suite that includes a double bed and a sofa bed). A six-night stay for a five-bedroom house, managed by a private host, located on Wolfe Tone Square in the town will cost €4,080.
Hotel availability is also limited for families in Killarney, Co Kerry. Aghadoe Heights Hotel & Spa and the Great Southern Killarney – both five-star hotels – did have some options for families, with two superior rooms in the former costing €5,788 for six nights and €5,736 for two superior twin rooms in the latter.
Over on Airbnb there are some other options, with a “modern” four-bedroom house costing €4,648 for the same period and another three-bedroom house in Glenbeigh (about 40 minutes from Killarney) priced at €2,817.
There are either small or no differences in costs when comparing the first week of August with that of October, suggesting little hope of making significant savings by avoiding peak season.
Over in Westport, Co Mayo, options are again limited this late in the day. The Knockranny House Hotel & Spa (four-star hotel) could cater for two adults and two children with a superior king room and suite available for €4,324 for six nights.
A four-bedroom house just outside the town also had availability for €2,976 with a two-bedroom cottage in Castlebar (20 minutes from Westport) set at €1,110.
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In Co Waterford, there were no suitable properties found for two adults and two children for the first week of August in either Tramore and Dunmore East on booking.com. In Dungarvan, an apartment offering a king, twin and sofa bed was available for €1,820. A four-bedroom “brand new bungalow with sea views” was also on offer for €3,600 for six nights.
Bundoran in Co Donegal boasted the best prices and options for a family of the five tourist towns surveyed, with a family room (two double beds) in the Great Northern Hotel (four-star) available for €1,760.
A two-bedroom apartment in the town was also available for €1,665, as was a three-bedroom house at €1,580. A large double room with two double beds at Blue Water House guest house was set at €1,602.
Travel and tourism commentator Eoghan Corry said generally those looking to holiday at home “can get the best prices by booking early”.
“Obviously, there is a couple of patterns to the market which are the same this year. South of Galway, on the west coast, is always much more expensive. It’s always about 10 or 20 per cent more expensive than north of Galway. We’ve seen [that] the midland area is where the best value is,” said Corry.
“The second thing is that a lot of beds that were gone from the market because of the Government [Ipas] contracts have returned to the market in terms of hotels. Not enough really to meet all the demand, but certainly there’s a lot more available than would have been available the summer of 2025. That’s helped a little bit.”
Fáilte Ireland said it was seeing “increased interest in searches related to ‘family holiday Ireland’, suggesting more people were actively considering taking a break at home”.
Maintaining Ireland’s competitiveness as a destination remains “critically important”, the national tourism development body said.
“Value is about more than price alone,” it saidd. “It is also about the quality of the experience received. Fáilte Ireland continues to work closely with tourism businesses to strengthen competitiveness and support the delivery of high-quality visitor experiences that offer good value for money.”
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