- Tourism Ireland has been rolling out co-operative marketing campaigns which they say delivers a 15 to 1 return on investment.
- Headwinds have been identified with macro-economic volatility and cost pressures affecting the sector.
- Visitor spend has reached €2.6bn in the first half of 2026, up 18pc on the first half of 2025.
- Revenue growth has included a 26pc increase from Mainland Europe and a 17pc increase from Great Britain.
- Ireland has hosted over 3.2m overseas visitors for January to June 2026, up 15pc on 2025.
Tourism Ireland has reacted to Thursday’s inbound tourism figures, citing headwinds in the tourism sector. Despite the positive start to 2026, the organisation warns of macro-economic volatility and cost pressures affecting both businesses and consumers.
Tourism Ireland has been working closely with air and sea carriers, tour operators, online travel platforms, trade partners in overseas markets, and industry partners at home to generate demand and win visitors. The organisation has been focusing on audiences with funds to travel, showcasing authentic experiences and once-in-a-lifetime trips that make Ireland aspirational at the appropriate price point.
Marketing activity has been live across over 15 overseas markets and will continue to year end, with co-operative campaigns with airlines and ferry companies delivering a 15 to 1 return on investment in terms of visitor spend generated. Tourism Ireland has been rolling out a new strategy in Mainland Europe and highlighting air routes from China, including the recently launched China Eastern Airways flight from Shanghai to Dublin. The Home of Halloween campaign will run from August through to the end of October, and the organisation will promote over 1,000 tourism SMEs, enabling 35,000 commercial meetings between local industry and overseas trade.
Tourism Ireland has confirmed that Ireland welcomed over 3.2m overseas visitors for the period January to June 2026, representing an increase of 15pc on the same six-month period in 2025, with visitors spending €2.6bn in the first half of the year, up 18pc on the first half of 2025. The six-month period of January to June has typically amounted to around 41pc of total overseas visitor spend for the year, and the revenue growth in the first half of 2026 has included a 26pc increase from Mainland Europe, a 17pc increase from Great Britain, a 13pc increase from North America, and a 17pc increase from the rest of the world. This strong performance relative to 2025 has put visitor numbers on par with 2024, which was a record year for visitor spend.
Alice Mansergh shared: “It is positive to see the growth in overseas tourism for the first half of 2026, with increases in visitor numbers and spend from Britain, North America, Mainland Europe and further afield. The good news is that the desire to travel remains strong and we know from our latest consumer research that 66pc of potential overseas visitors are prioritising spend on holidays as worth it, so the opportunity is there to win these visitors to the island of Ireland.“
