The number of visitors coming to Ireland in February of this year sank by 30% compared to the same time last year, new figures from Central Statistics Office show.
The CSO has said that 304,300 foreign visitors completed a trip to Ireland last month, down from 433,300 in February of last year.
Visitor numbers in January also saw a big drop, falling by 25% to 338,900 from 451,900 in January of last year.
The visitors who came here last month spent a total of 1.8 million nights, a drop of 33% compared with the same month in 2024.
Their average length of stay was 5.9 nights, down from an average of 6.2 nights in February 2024.
Today’s CSO figures also show that the visitors spent €195.6m on their trips, a decrease of 31% compared with February 2024.
The average cost of their trips, excluding fares in February 2025 was €643, down from €655 in February of last year.
The CSO said the largest contingent of visitors came from Britain (49%), and the second largest came from the US (10%).
The most frequent reason for travelling to Ireland was to visit family or friends (37%), it added.
More of the visitors stayed in their own property or with family or friends (44%) than in any other accommodation type, it also noted.
