Tourism – an urgent need for more data

Sir, – Further to “Tourists flocking back to Ireland but numbers still below pre-pandemic levels” (Business, August 30th), the July monthly figures from the CSO show aggregate arrivals into the country, including Irish people returning from their holidays as well as transfer traffic. The number of non-resident visitors is a better guide to tourism’s performance, and this data is not available.

Even at that, non-resident visitors needs to be broken down into business visitors, those visiting family and friends, and holidaymakers, the latter the most accurate guide by market as to how tourism is performing.

Unfortunately this level of data, as well as key metrics such as expenditure by visitor, has not been reported by the CSO since before the pandemic.

Such a dearth of accurate statistics causes the tourism industry significant concern particular in the run-up to Budget 2023 when Government policy is being made in a data vacuum. – Yours, etc,