A drop in the number of tourists visiting Ireland this year has been labelled “highly concerning” by an industry insider. 

According to new data released by the CSO, the first seven months of this year saw an 11% decline in the number of visitors in comparison to 2024. 

On Newstalk Breakfast, Irish Tourist Industry Confederation Director Catherine Flanagan said things failed to pick up during July and August. 

 “Even just looking at the summer months, we can see that business was flat or down,” she said. 

“I think what we’re seeing is a degree of correction post-COVID.

“We had a strong year between 2022, 2023, 2024 - the market recovered. 

“And now we’re just seeing a flattening of things.” 

Not all doom and gloom 

Although she believes the poor summer months in particular is “highly concerning”, Ms Flanagan added that the news is not all negative, describing the completion of new hotels in Dublin as “positive for the consumer”.  

“There’s been a number of hotel openings in Dublin - which will create more space for and better pricing for customers,” she said. 

Tourists in Dublin wearing Irish Tricolour top hats in November 2018. Picture by: Sarah-Louise Burns / Alamy Stock Photo

Ms Flanagan also rejected the idea that hotels in Ireland are extortionately expensive. 

“When we look internationally at competitor cities, Ireland is actually benchmarked pretty well,” she said. 

“There are peak times when hotel prices go up, there’s also lower times when hotel prices drop.” 

An aeroplane landing on the runway at Dublin Airport Ireland. Picture by: Alamy.com.

She also praised Ireland’s “very good connectivity” with North America and said proposals to lift the Dublin Airport passenger cap would benefit tourism. 

“We’ve been welcoming the news that the new Minister Darragh O’Brien will to Cabinet proposals around lifting the passenger cap at Dublin Airport,” she said. 

“That will allow us to future plan a little bit more with new carriers and routes.” 

Opponents of lifting the Dublin Airport passenger cap have argued that more aviation is not compatible with the Government’s desire to cut carbon emissions.

Main image: Tourists in Killarney. Picture by: Alamy.com.