Ireland's number of foreign visitors last month jumped by 8.5% compared to last May

The number of foreign visitors to Ireland increased by a whopping 8.5% in May compared to May 2023. 

622,300 visitors arrived in Ireland throughout May 2024, Ireland's Central Statistics Office (CSO) said on Thursday, June 27.

Foreign visitors spent a total of 4,462,100 nights in the country last month, a drop of 0.3% compared to May 2023. 

However, visitors spent a combined total of €810.6 million during the month, a massive 29% increase on the same period last year. 

British visitors were by far the largest contingent of foreign visitors in Ireland in May 2024, representing 34.9% of all visitors, with the US in second place representing 20.2% of all visitors. 

Germany was the next largest contingent, representing 7.4% of all foreign visitors last month. 

Meanwhile, a total of 45.1% of all visitors to Ireland last month declared that they were visiting the country for leisure or vacations. 

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Gregg Patrick, a statistician in the CSO tourism and travel division, said that an average visit to Ireland last month lasted just over seven days. 

"The results show that 622,300 foreign visitors departed Ireland on oversea routes in May 2024, an increase of 8.5% compared with May 2023," Patrick said in a statement on Thursday.

"Some 34.9% of the visitors were from Great Britain, 20.2% were from the United States, and 7.4% were from Germany. Typically, their visit lasted 7.2 nights." 

Just over half (50.1%) of all visitors stayed in hotels last month, with an average visit to Ireland costing €1,303. 

The CSO found that foreign visitors spent an average of €334 on airfare in addition to €437 on accommodation. They also spent €480 on day-to-day expenditure and an additional €51 on pre-payments. 

Last week, the CSO announced that 6.3 million foreign visitors traveled to Ireland in 2023, with Britain accounting for 37.9% of all visitors throughout the year. 

The US accounted for 18.1% of all foreign visitors to Ireland in 2023, with Germany once again in third place and responsible for 7.1% of the total figure.