Spending by tourists dipped in October despite the number of foreign visitors to the country being ahead of the same month a year ago.
Visitors to Ireland spent a €529 million in October, according to Central Statistics Office data. This represented a 1 per cent decrease on the same period in 2024.
While CSO data shows a marginal increase in tourist numbers and the number of nights spent by visitors in October, the money spent was down against the same time last year.
Spending by visitors is down 12.7 per cent in the first 10 months of the year, with foreign visitors spending an estimated €4.7 billion, down from €5.4 billion during the same period in 2024.
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A total of 568,900 people made visits to Ireland last month – a 4 per cent increase on October 2024. Despite the improved numbers in October, the figures for the year to date remain lower than 2024.
In the 10 months to October 2025, total visitor numbers were just over 5.4 million, down 6.4 per cent on the same 10 month period in 2024 when Ireland welcomed 5.8 million people.
The CSO data suggests the average stay for visitors was 7.1 nights in October, matching the metrics set in the month last year and a slight improvement on 2023’s data. In total, visitors stayed a total of 4 million nights.
Eoghan O’Mara Walsh, the chief executive of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation, welcomed the data suggesting that inbound tourism numbers improved in October but said it was “surprising” that spending is down in the month.
He said industry data and intelligence suggests that the past month was “pretty strong” with the “slight misalignment” between the industry and the CSO continuing into October.
While the CSO data suggests a 6.4 per cent fall in tourism volumes this year, Mr O’Mara Walsh said the perspective in the industry does not reflect such a “sharp decline” but instead largely flat tourism volumes or perhaps a “marginal” decline.
The most common visitors to Ireland were British citizens, making up 34 per cent of all foreign visitors, followed by people from the US at 22 per cent. Despite making up just one-fifth of all visitors, US tourists accounted for 38 per cent of money spent in October at €202 million.
CSO statistician for tourism and travel, Edward Duffy noted that the most common reason for visitors to travel to Ireland was for holiday at 41 per cent, while one in three people came to visit friends or relatives.
