Visitors from Ireland

Read key insight into our Irish visitors including number of trips, nights, and spend.

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Overview

With ancestral links and a shared language, we have many friends on the Emerald Isle.
In 2024, Ireland was Scotland’s third largest international source market, measured by number of visits. It was ninth by nights and expenditure.
Irish visitors accounted for 8% of all overseas visits to Scotland and 3% of all overseas spend in Scotland in 2024.

Key statistics

328,729

total number of visits by Irish visitors to Scotland in 2024

951,725

total number of nights spent in Scotland by Irish visitors in Scotland in 2024

£114 million

total spend by Irish visitors to Scotland in 2024

2.9

average nights per visit by Irish visitors to Scotland in 2024

Source: International Passenger Survey 2024

1. Market performance 2024

In 2024, Ireland was Scotland’s third largest international source market, measured by number of visits. It was ranked ninth by expenditure and ninth by number of nights.

Irish visitors accounted for 8% of all overseas visits to Scotland and 3% of all overseas spend in Scotland in 2024.

The Irish market performed strongly in 2024 with the total number of visits, nights, and spend surpassing both 2023 and pre-pandemic levels.

The number of visits increased by 64% on 2023 and by 125% on pre-pandemic levels. Similarly, expenditure increased by 36%, compared to 2023, and 90%, compared to pre-pandemic levels.

The average spend per visit in 2024 was £346, down 17% from 2023.

The average length of stay was 2.9 nights, a slight decrease from an average of 3.43 nights in 2023.

Source: International Passenger Survey, 2024

Explore more data on tourismobservatory.scot

2. VisitBritain MIDAS research 2022

In 2022, our partner, VisitBritain undertook comprehensive research with international leisure travellers. They spoke to global tourists from many markets, including Ireland.

Whilst the research focuses on perceptions and experiences of Britain, there are insights which are useful for the Scottish tourism industry.

West European markets are more likely to demand a variety of interesting people, experiences and food and beverage options. These needs seem more distinctive than drivers in the other European regions.

Read the full MIDAS research on visitbritain.org.

3. Official statistics and partners

The International Passenger Survey is a continuous survey carried out by the Office for National Statistics. It covers all major air, sea and tunnel ports.

The survey provides information on the numbers and types of visits made by people travelling to and from the UK. Anonymous face to face interviews are undertaken with a sample of passengers entering and leaving the UK.

Find out more on the survey methodology on ons.gov.uk.

Read further ONS publications on ons.gov.uk.

Read how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted on the IPS data collection on visitbritain.org.