Ireland retains 3.8pc share of Britain’s outbound market

Emma Rourke London ONS National Statistician (acting)

Residents of Britain undertook 94.6m overseas visits in 2024, marking a record high for trips abroad.

Ireland captured 3.63m visits according to the London ONS figures, equating to a 3.83pc market share of all outbound travel. This compares with 2.44m inbound from Britain recorded by the Irish Central Statistics Office for 2024. Visits from the six counties to the 26 counties are not included in CSO figures.

Overall spend by Brits abroad reached £78.6bn, equivalent to €92.4bn, reflecting a substantial rise in holiday expenditure.

This outlay exceeded inbound visitor spending to the English by nearly three times. English holidaymakers allocated an average of £830, or €975, per trip abroad.

London’s Office for National Statistics shared: “England residents undertook 94.6m visits abroad in 2024, the highest number on record. The total value of spending associated with these visits was £78.6bn, nearly three times the level of spending by inbound visitors.”