Ireland inbound visitor numbers (26 counties only) announced yesterday by the CSO are 5.3pc ahead of 2023 but 39pc behind pre-pandemic.
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has altered its methodology, affecting how current figures relate to those from 2019.
Spain overtook France and Germany got become the third biggest inbound market during the month of December.
In December 2024, Ireland hosted approximately 390,700 foreign visitors, reflecting a 12.2pc drop compared to December 2023.
Total visitor spending reached €328.6 million, showing a decrease of 20.4pc from the previous year.
The largest group of tourists originated from England (43.6pc), followed by the United States (12.3pc) and Spain/Portugal (7.2pc).
The most common reason for visiting was to see family or friends, accounting for 47.2pc of visits, with an overall average stay of 9.9 nights, a slight decline from 10.1 nights in December 2023.
See details from the CSO here.
