Why Ireland is struggling to attract tourists

 In March 2023, 34 per cent of the registered tourism bed stock was being used as emergency accommodation for refugees and asylum seekers. While this figure has now decreased to 10 per cent, there are knock-on effects from that period, with associated businesses like tourism attractions and cafés closing down. 

However, it’s not all doom and gloom. The Fáilte Ireland Tourism Barometer states that 43 per cent of inbound tour operators have seen more visitors, and the US market, key for Irish tourism, is reportedly looking strong.  

“While 2024 was relatively flat compared to 2023, in fact this was significantly ahead of pre-covid bookings in terms of numbers,” says Robert Kidd, founder of McKinlay Kidd, who specialise in holidays to Ireland. Its bookings for Ireland holidays are about 75 per cent up for 2024 compared to 2019, with their customers largely coming from England and North America. 2025 is looking buoyant, too.

Tourism Ireland shared a similar outlook for the upcoming year, with a focus on revenue, rather than numbers. “When comparing Jan to Aug for 2024 versus 2023, we see spending up by 17 per cent, trips up by 11 per cent and nights slightly down by 2 per cent. This is a positive indication of how the year will turn out.”

Will things turn around in the coming months? Only time will tell.