Irish residents took 3.1 million trips in Q1 2026, figures show

Irish residents took 3.1 million overnight trips outside of Ireland in the first three months of 2026, according to figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). This represented a 5% increase from the same period last year.

The main purpose of the overnight trips was holidays, representing 56% of all journeys, with visiting friends and family accounting for 23% and business for 11%.

The CSO reports that the average length of stay was 4.7 nights in Q1 2025, but it fell to 4.5 nights in Q1 2026.

In total, Irish residents spent 6 million nights on domestic trips in the first three months of 2026, up 9% from 2025.

Aaron Costello, Statistician in the Tourism and Travel Division, said: “The figures provide information on domestic and outbound travel by Irish residents in the months of January, February, and March 2026.

“The number of nights spent on domestic overnight trips taken in Q1 2026 was up 9% compared with the same period in 2025. Visits to friends or relatives accounted for the largest share of domestic nights, 39%, followed closely by holiday purposes at 38%. Business travel represented 5% of all overnight stays.

“The total number of overnight trips outside of Ireland in Q1 2026 rose by 5% compared with Q1 2025. Irish residents spent a total of 13.9 million nights on overnight trips outside of Ireland in Q1 2026.

“The distribution of these nights was led by holiday purposes, accounting for 59% of the total. Visits to friends or relatives represented 23% of the nights, while business related travel made up 7%. The average length of stay for overnight trips outside of Ireland was 4.5 nights, versus 4.7 in Q1 2025.”