Foreign visitors to Ireland spent €744 million during their trips last month, excluding airfares, according to new Central Statistics Office figures.
The spending represents a 9% decrease compared to August 2024 but marks a 1% increase from August 2023, revealing mixed trends in Ireland’s tourism performance.
A total of 772,800 foreign visitors completed trips to Ireland in August 2025, up 1% from the same month last year and 5% higher than August 2023. However, visitors are staying for shorter periods, with the average length of stay dropping to 8.6 nights from 8.7 nights in August 2024 and significantly down from 9.9 nights in August 2023.
Visitors accumulated 6.7 million nights in the country, showing no change from August 2024 but representing a 9% decrease compared to August 2023. The reduced stay duration helps explain the spending decline despite increased visitor numbers.
Great Britain provided the largest share of visitors at 36%, followed by the United States at 23%. Holiday travel remained the most common reason for visiting, accounting for 48% of trips, while 31% (239,900 visitors) came to visit family and friends. Business or work-related travel represented 9.2% of visits, with 71,000 people traveling for professional purposes.
Year-on-year comparisons show modest declines across travel categories. Holiday visitors decreased 0.8%, those visiting family and friends fell 2.8%, and business travelers dropped 6% compared to August 2024.
The figures suggest Ireland’s tourism sector faces challenges maintaining both visitor spending levels and length of stay despite attracting similar or slightly higher visitor numbers. The shorter average stays and reduced spending per visit may reflect changing travel patterns, economic pressures affecting tourists’ budgets, or increased competition from other destinations.
The data provides important context for tourism industry planning and government policy as Ireland seeks to maximize the economic benefits of its visitor sector while managing capacity and sustainability concerns.