Dublin is Ireland's capital, its dominant visitor destination and — through Dublin Airport — the gateway for the vast majority of the country's tourists. In 2025 a record 36.4 million passengers used Dublin Airport, while Ireland as a whole welcomed 6.4 million overseas visitors who spent an estimated €5.5 billion, according to the Central Statistics Office. The city is also home to Ireland's most-visited paid attraction, the Guinness Storehouse, which drew 1.65 million visitors in 2024. The figures below come from official sources — the CSO, daa (Dublin Airport's operator), Fáilte Ireland and industry bodies — and are the latest available as of 2026.
Key Dublin tourism statistics
- A record 36.4 million passengers travelled through Dublin Airport in 2025, up 5.1% on 2024 (daa).
- Dublin Airport handled 84% of the record 43.5 million passengers who used Irish airports in 2025 (CSO).
- Ireland welcomed 6.4 million overnight foreign visitors in 2025, who spent €5.5 billion (CSO).
- The Guinness Storehouse attracted 1.65 million visitors in 2024 — Ireland's most-visited attraction for the 15th successive year (AVEA via Travel Extra).
- Fáilte Ireland puts the average daily rate in Dublin hotels at €174 — up 23% in six years — with occupancy of 83.2% (Travel Extra).
- The North American market was worth €1.933 billion to Irish tourism in 2025, at €1,282 per visit (ITIC).
- Tourism employs 226,800 people across Ireland (ITIC).
How many tourists visit Ireland — and Dublin?
- Ireland received 6.4 million overnight foreign visitors in 2025, down 3% on 2024's peak of 6.6 million but 2% above 2023, per the CSO's Inbound Tourism series.
- Foreign visitor spend was an estimated €5.5 billion in 2025, down 9% on 2024's €6 billion but 1% ahead of 2023.
- Visitors stayed 47.9 million nights in Ireland in 2025, an average of 7.5 nights per trip.
- 40% of 2025's visitors came for holidays, leisure and recreation, 35% to visit friends and relatives, and 15% for business (CSO).
- 2024 was the high-water mark: almost 6.6 million overseas visitors (+5% on 2023) spending €6 billion (+11%), per Tourism Ireland.
- Fáilte Ireland describes Dublin as Ireland's key access point and its leading city-break destination; for comparison with other capital-city visitor economies, see our London tourism statistics.
Dublin Airport: Ireland's gateway
- Dublin Airport handled 36,402,926 passengers in 2025 — a record — up from 34.6 million in 2024 and just 8.3 million in pandemic-hit 2021 (CSO Aviation Statistics).
- daa operated 255,000 flights in 2025 (+5%), and the busiest day ever — Sunday 10 August 2025 — saw 130,427 passengers; 215 days of the year topped 100,000 passengers (daa).
- London-Heathrow was the top route with 1,825,433 passengers in 2025, ahead of Amsterdam-Schiphol (1,332,261) and Manchester (1,148,219) — see our Manchester tourism statistics for the view from the other end of that route.
- The airport's US pre-clearance facility processed over 2 million passengers in a 12-month period for the first time in 2025 (daa).
- Growth has collided with planning: a 32 million annual passenger cap, imposed in 2007 as a condition of building Terminal 2, was suspended by the High Court pending an EU Court of Justice case, and the Irish government is drafting legislation to remove it entirely (RTÉ).
- On daa's terminal-only basis, 2024 traffic was 33.3 million passengers, +4% on 2023 (daa).
Where Dublin's visitors come from
- Great Britain remains the largest source of visitors to Ireland at 38% in 2025, ahead of Continental Europe (33%), North America (24%) and the rest of the world (5%) (CSO).
- North America punches far above its weight on spend: the market was worth €1.933 billion in 2025, with North American visitors spending €1,282 per visit (ITIC).
- US visitor numbers rose 4% and Canadian numbers 8% in 2025, even as overall volumes dipped (ITIC).
- In 2024, North America was the standout growth market, with visitor spending up 19% on 2023 (Tourism Ireland).
- Transatlantic access is a structural advantage: Dublin is one of the few European airports with US pre-clearance, which handled over 2 million passengers in 2025 (daa).
Dublin hotels: occupancy and room rates
- Fáilte Ireland research puts Dublin's hotel average daily rate at €174, an increase of 23% over six years, with occupancy at 83.2% — making Dublin the second-strongest performing city in the EU for hotel occupancy (Travel Extra).
- In September 2025, Dublin hotels ran at 83.5% occupancy with an ADR of €175 (-1%) and RevPAR flat at €146, helped by a strong concert and sports calendar including the Aer Lingus College Football Classic (Horwath HTL market update).
- Dublin hotel occupancy rose 1.5% across 2025 as a whole (ITIC).
- Supply is expanding: around 5,400 new rooms are forecast for Dublin by 2029 (+19%), with 2025 openings including the 245-room citizenM St Patrick's and the 183-room Moxy Dublin Docklands (Horwath HTL).
- For how a comparable UK city market performs, see our Liverpool tourism statistics.
Top attractions: Guinness Storehouse leads
- The Guinness Storehouse welcomed 1.65 million visitors in 2024, Ireland's most-visited attraction for the 15th successive year, according to figures from attractions body AVEA reported by Travel Extra; the Cliffs of Moher and Dublin Zoo completed the top three fee-charging attractions.
- Fáilte Ireland's Visitor Attractions Survey counted 1,595,372 Guinness Storehouse visitors in 2024, of whom 87% were international (Hospitality Ireland).
- Dublin Zoo recorded 1,165,009 visitors in 2024, up 0.3% on 2023 and back to 91.5% of pre-pandemic levels (Travel Extra).
- The Phoenix Park Visitor Centre drew an estimated 2.1 million visits in 2024, though it sits outside the main survey tables (Travel Extra/AVEA).
Visitor economy, jobs and outlook
- Irish tourism — overseas and domestic combined — was worth €8.89 billion in 2025 and supports 226,800 jobs nationwide (ITIC).
- Foreign visitors spent 47.9 million nights in Ireland in 2025; with Dublin the main gateway and city-break hub, the capital captures a large share of that demand (CSO).
- The planned removal of Dublin Airport's 32 million passenger cap is the single biggest capacity decision facing Irish tourism: government legislation to scrap it is in progress after the High Court suspended the cap (RTÉ).
- December 2025 pointed to momentum returning: 524,100 foreign visitors (+34% year on year) spent €427 million excluding fares (CSO).
- For how travellers are booking trips like these, see our online travel booking statistics.
Sources
- CSO — Inbound Tourism, December 2025 (full-year 2025 figures)
- CSO — Aviation Statistics, Quarter 4 and Year 2025
- daa — Record 36.4 million passengers through Dublin Airport in 2025
- daa — 33.3m passengers through Dublin Airport's terminals in 2024
- RTÉ — Record 36.4m passengers used Dublin Airport last year (passenger cap)
- Tourism Ireland — Comment on overseas tourism figures for 2024
- ITIC — Irish Tourism Review 2025 & Outlook 2026
- Travel Extra — Dublin hotel average daily rate reaches €174 (Fáilte Ireland)
- Horwath HTL — Ireland Hospitality, Tourism & Leisure Market Update, September 2025
- Travel Extra — Guinness Storehouse most visited attraction for 15th year (AVEA)
- Travel Extra — Dublin Zoo visitor numbers 2024
- Hospitality Ireland — Top 10 most popular tourist attractions in Ireland (Fáilte Ireland survey)
