Tourism is one of Ireland’s most important sectors for revenue and jobs. The total value of tourism expenditure to the economy in 2019 (including domestic receipts and fares to Irish carriers) was EUR 9.5 billion, equivalent to 2.7% of GDP. In 2019, tourism-related sectors employed 284 838 people directly, 12.3% of national employment. The impacts of the COVID‑19 pandemic saw the tourism share of employment fall to 10.3% in 2020.
In 2020, international tourists decreased by almost 80% compared to a record high of 9.4 million in 2019. This represented a significant reduction in tourism revenue, as inbound tourism generally accounts for 70% of total tourism revenue.
Despite declines, domestic tourism has become the main source of tourism revenue, generating over EUR 1.5 billion in 2020 and EUR 1.3 billion in 2021. There were an estimated 7.7 million domestic trips in 2020 and 5.7 million domestic overnight trips in 2021 (down 51.3% compared to 2019). Ireland estimates that domestic visitors represented over 85% of the country’s total tourism economy in 2021.
Domestic tourism is expected to account for between 50% and 60% of the tourism economy in 2022, with international tourism expected to track at approximately 75% of 2019 levels. The medium to long-term outlook indicates that tourism in Ireland will return to 2019 levels by 2025 or 2026.
