According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), Irish residents took 13.3 million domestic overnight trips last year.
Details
According to a statement published on CSO.ie, the 13.3 million overnight trips taken in 2022 resulted in €2.9 billion in expenditure, which compares with 5.7 million domestic overnight trips and a resultant €1.3 billion in total expenditure in 2021.
50% of domestic overnight trips last year were for holidays, while 34% were to visit friends or relatives.
Additionally, 8.8 million outbound overnight trips were taken by Irish residents last year, resulting in €8.6 billion in total expenditure and close to 62 million bed nights.
Statement By Statistician
The statement published on CSO.ie quoted statistician in the tourism and travel division Brendan Curtin as saying, "The figures provide information on domestic and international travel by Irish residents in the months of October, November and December (Q4) and the full year results. The data highlights the continued strong recovery in travel by Irish residents in 2022 following the disruption caused by COVID-19 restrictions.
"The number of domestic overnight trips taken in Q4 2022 was 16% higher than in the same period in pre-pandemic 2019, while the total number of outbound overnight trips increased by 14% when compared with the same quarter in 2019. Expenditure also increased in Q4 2022, up 26% for domestic overnight trips and 24% for outbound overnight trips when compared with Q4 2019. Irish residents took 13.3 million domestic overnight trips and 8.8 million outbound overnight trips in 2022. This compares with 11.6 million domestic overnight trips and 9.4 million outbound overnight trips in 2019.
"In 2022 Irish residents took 16.2 million domestic same-day visits and 1.3 million outbound same-day visits. Expenditure amounted to €856 million on domestic same-day visits in 2022 which was more than double the comparable 2021 figure (€411 million). Irish residents spent €124 million on outbound same-day visits which was also up significantly on the 2021 spend (€61 million)."
Fáilte Ireland Reaction
In a separate statement issued by Fáilte Ireland in response to the above news, CEO of Fáilte Ireland Paul Kelly has welcomed the new data from the CSO showing domestic tourism recovered strongly in 2022.
Fáilte Ireland provided the following summary of the CSO's results:
- A total of 13.3 million domestic trips were taken in 2022. This represents an increase of 14% on 2019, with nights growing by 16%. Total spend for the period was €2.9 billion - up 36% on 2019.
- Total holiday trips in 2022 of 6.6 million were up 14% on 2019, with holiday nights up by 16%. Holiday spend increased by 39% vs 2019 to almost €1.9 billion.
- The average spend for all trips and holiday trips in 2022 was €221 and €281, respectively.
- Visits to friends/relatives at 4.6 million were up by 18% on 2019, with nights and spend increasing by 18% and 36% respectively.
- Trips for all other reasons at 1.6 million grew by 12% vs. 2019, with nights (+9%) and spend (+26%) also up.
Kelly said, "Today's strong results are hugely positive for tourism and for our economy. They show the passion that consumers have for discovering our beautiful country and experiencing the many quality visitor experiences that Ireland is famous for. In addition to the CSO data our own research shows that visitor satisfaction with their trip stands at 79%. The domestic market is critical for sustainable recovery and plays a key role in driving regional and seasonal spread."
Read More: Irish Residents Took 4.5m Domestic Overnight Trips In Q3 2022
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