Domestic overnight tourism trips in Ireland have increased by 6pc in the first quarter of 2026.
Newly released data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) highlights strong momentum in local travel, alongside a notable rise in outbound tourism during January, February, and March of this year.
- Irish residents spent a total of 6m nights away on domestic trips. This total volume of nights represents a 9pc increase year-on-year.
- The average duration fell slightly to 4.5 nights, down from 4.7 nights in Q1 2025.
- Irish travelers spent €679.3m on their trips within the country.
- Visiting rriends or relatives accounted for the single largest share at 39pc of all domestic nights.
- Leisure trips followed closely behind at 38pc.
- Work-related overnight stays made up 5pc of the total
- Irish residents took 3.1m overnight trips abroad, a 5pc increase from Q1 2025.
- Travelers logged 13.9m nights outside Ireland.
- Outbound travel expenditure reached €2.16bn, more than triple the amount spent domestically.
The figures come amid ongoing developments in hospitality and aviation capacity. Strong domestic performance supports local economies and complements international visitor numbers. Overnight trips outside Ireland also rose by 5p to 3.1m in the same period. The data reflects continued recovery and demand in the Irish tourism sector.
