Irish residents took more than 4.2 million outbound overnight trips in the second quarter of this year, a 12% increase on the corresponding period a year earlier, new data from the country’s Central Statistics Office (CSO) has found.
All types of outbound overnight trips – for holidays, business purposes, and visits to friends or relatives – increased in the quarter, with the average length of stay on outbound trips decreasing slightly, from six nights in Q2 2024 to 5.6 nights in Q2 2025.
Going on holiday
“Irish residents spent a total of 23.9 million nights on outbound trips, and most of these were for holiday purposes, accounting for 64% of the total,” commented Aaron Costello, statistician in the CSO‘s Tourism and Travel Division. “Visits to friends or relatives represented 21% of the nights, while business-related travel made up 5%.”
Domestic travel, meanwhile, showed a more modest change, with Irish residents spending 8.7 million nights on domestic overnight trips in the quarter, a 0.4% increase on the same quarter the previous year.
Visits by region
Ireland’s Southern region, which includes Clare, Tipperary, Limerick, Waterford, Kilkenny, Carlow, Wexford, Cork, and Kerry, accounted for the highest percentage of all domestic overnight trips, with 46% of the total, or almost 2 million trips.
The Northern and Western region, including Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan, Monaghan, Galway, Mayo, and Roscommon, recorded the lowest level of domestic trips at 1.1 million, or 26% of the total. The Eastern and Midland region accounted for 28% of trips.
“Holiday trips accounted for the largest share of domestic nights at 49%, followed by visits to friends or relatives at 30%,” Costello added. “Business travel represented 5% of all overnight stays.”
Accommodation patterns indicate that visits to friends or relatives accounted for 37% of all domestic trips taken in Ireland in the quarter, while hotel stays made up 33%. Other types of accommodation included guesthouses, rented properties, and self-catering options.
The CSO’s Household Travel Survey provides information on tourism activity by Irish residents, covering both domestic and outbound trips as well as same-day visits. Data on inbound tourism is collected separately through the Passenger Survey, which measures visits by non-residents to Ireland. Read more here.
