The tourism sector is becoming a more and more integral part of the Irish economy and lifestyle. Over a third of the population of Ireland call Dublin home. It’s the biggest city in the country and its outstanding colleges and universities attract students from all over the world. The city’s young-at-heart character and friendly locals make it the ideal choice for long vacations or short city breaks.
Dublin is famous for its connections to some of the world’s most important writers and poets. James Joyce set his landmark novel, Ulysses, in the city and some of the heavyweights who have called Dublin home include Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett, and Jonathon Swift.
Compiled some of the most interesting statistics about travel and tourism in Dublin.
INDUSTRY TRENDS
- Dublin generates more than half of the State’s gross domestic product (GDP) in the tourism and travel sector and is highly reliant on international visitors.
- The most popular city in Ireland for international travelers is Dublin.
- Each year about €5bn in revenue is made from economic activities directly related to tourists, accounting for about 4% of GNP and employing over 200,000 people.
- Mainland Europe accounts for 37.3% of our overseas tourists and is not our single largest source market, Britain remains the largest single market accounting for 36% of holidaymakers.
- Every €1m of tourist expenditure helps to support 27 tourism jobs.
- For every euro spent on tourism (domestic and overseas), 23c is generated in tax.
- Dublin is already home to the world's first ISO 14001 certified carbon neutral convention centre and has been awarded the Green Tourism and Entertainment Award.
- Dublin's accessibility to all major European cities, its well-developed MICE infrastructure, and its young and cosmopolitan identity make it a destination of choice for business tourism.
- The impact of the pandemic in Dublin was greater than the national average.
- Dublin has been named the seventh-best city in the world to visit in 2022 by Lonely Planet.
- St. Patrick’s Cathedral – The most sought-after attraction in Dublin One of the most scenic spots to visit also happens to be a highly rated monument in Dublin.
- Aside from the usual Dublin tours and attractions, there are also interesting and unusual tours in the city. Dublin tours include jail tours, ghost tours, grave tours, and singing tours. There are also several day trips from Dublin that visitors can do.
- The average length of stay for an overseas tourist was 7.3 nights and holidaymaker was 6.2 nights
- Half of all visitors to the island of Ireland in 2019 came for a holiday, that is +34,000 (+1%) more holidaymakers than in 2018. One-third came to visit friends and/or relatives (VFR) (while one-seventh (14%) came for business reasons.
- The average spend by an overseas tourist and holidaymaker was €518/£451 and €598/£520 respectively.
- Europeans spend their money in these proportions: 34% on food and drink, 32% on bed and board, 16% on shopping, 8% on internal transport, and 4% on sightseeing and entertainment.
- North Americans spend their money in these proportions: 31% on food and drink, 28% for bed and board, 18% for shopping, 10% for internal transport, and 6% for sightseeing and entertainment.
- Hiking and Hillwalking, Golf, Angling, Cycling, and Equestrian Sports are tourists' favorite outdoor activities in Dublin.
- Event visitors, coming to Dublin specifically to attend an event or festival, whether sporting, cultural, business or any other type of even
- More than half (54%) of all holidaymakers are 35 years of age or older, though this differs by market area with older holidaymakers from Other Areas (62% over 35 years) and younger holidaymakers from Mainland Europe (47% are under 35 years).
- Ireland recorded a total of 11 million tourists in 2019, ranking 23rd in the world in absolute terms.
- Though leisure is not necessary for every tourist, recreational activity is something wanted by a lot of people.
- The tourism industry in Ireland has seen significant growth over the last decade. Valued at over €9bn, it is a critical sector for our economy, supporting one in ten jobs within the country.
- Dublin is a relatively young and dynamic city with 50% of its population under the age of 25 and an equally young tourist population, the city of a thousand and one colorful doors is a popular destination for young tourists.
- Britain, the US, Germany, and France remain the island of Ireland's top four inbound markets. They account for 69% of visitors, 68% of holidaymakers and holiday revenue, 65% of revenue, and 59% of nights.
- The Dublin hotel market saw an increase of over 1,100 new bedrooms, a 5.7% increase in room capacity, in 2018. This marked the largest annual increase in supply in Dublin in over 10 years.
- The city is taking part in a campaign developed by Fáilte Ireland called "Keep discovering" which aims to encourage the Irish to discover or rediscover their own territory.
- The Irish Tourist Industry Confederation’s outlook is that by 2025 overseas tourists will return to pre-pandemic levels and domestic tourism is expected to be well ahead of pre-pandemic levels by then.
- Overseas visitor numbers to Ireland reached a record high of 10.6m trips in 2018 – the eighth consecutive year of growth and above the previous high of 8m in 2007.
- In 2018, there were 820 registered hotels (58,757 rooms) in Ireland, with 33% of rooms located in Dublin.
- Tourism targets have been set to grow tourism in the Dublin region by 2028, to include an additional three million visitors to Dublin annually generating €1.3 billion in revenue and supporting 30,000 additional jobs
- Tourism Ireland is the organization responsible for marketing the island of Ireland overseas as a tourist destination.
- Favorite activities of tourists in Ireland include Hiking and Hillwalking, Golf, Angling, Cycling, and Equestrian Sports
- Ireland as a country currently holds a ratio of two overseas tourists for every resident.
- Dublin remains a medium-priced city destination by European standards with lower ADR than cities such as Amsterdam, Barcelona, Copenhagen, London, Paris, and Rome.
- The busiest month for tourism in Dublin, Ireland is January, followed by July and February. Prices for hotels and flights are most expensive during these months.
- Tourism Ireland recently launched its new ‘GreenButton’ global campaign, to re-start tourism and encourage as many overseas visitors as possible to book Ireland for their next short break or holiday.
- Dublin Airport is the busiest airport in Ireland. The majority of the tourists pass through Dublin Airport before transferring to another city.
- The number of domestic tourist trips in Ireland decreased in 2021 over the previous year, after falling sharply in 2020 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Overall, domestic travelers made roughly 5.7 million journeys in Ireland in 2021, while they took around 11.6 million trips in 2019.
- Half of the total domestic trips made to Ireland in 2019 were for holidaying purposes.
