Ireland’s tourism sector has questioned the Central Statistics Office’s data indicating a significant drop in foreign visitors, as industry groups claim the official figures may overstate the decline.
The CSO recently reported that 304,300 foreign visitors traveled to Ireland in February 2025, representing a dramatic 30% decrease from the 433,300 recorded in February 2024. However, tourism organizations have challenged these statistics, suggesting they don’t align with industry observations.
“The CSO is confident the trends reported in the Inbound Tourism series reflect real trends in overseas visitor numbers,” a spokesperson stated, defending their methodology as “consistent and robust” and “independently reviewed.” Data is collected continuously at airports and international ports throughout the country.
Tourism Ireland Chief Alice Mansergh told RTÉ Radio One that a “job of work” was needed to “line up industry data with CSO data,” noting that industry figures showed hotel occupancy had actually increased, with booking platforms reporting they were “up 2-3%” rather than down.
Similarly, Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) Chief Executive Adrian Cummins acknowledged to The Journal that their figures also showed a decline, but “not as large a drop” as the CSO reported. He emphasized the importance of accurate data for planning purposes and claimed the RAI had previously flagged a “flat season” to tourism officials but received “pushback.”
The CSO plans to meet with Tourism Ireland and other industry representatives this Friday at a pre-planned meeting, where the conflicting data interpretations are expected to be discussed.
Tourism stakeholders have suggested various factors that could be affecting visitor numbers, including economic uncertainty due to political instability in the US, cost of living pressures in the UK and Europe, and high prices in Ireland.
Cummins warned that if March figures continue to show declining visitor numbers, the sector could face a “major problem” requiring immediate attention.