Tourism Recovery Driven by Visitors from the Republic of Ireland
Official data indicates that tourism spending in Northern Ireland experienced a recovery in 2025, primarily driven by holidaymakers from the Republic of Ireland. There were an estimated 5.1 million overnight trips, generating spending of £1.2 billion, representing a 9% increase compared to 2024.
Overnight trips from the Republic of Ireland rose by 15%, increasing from 1.1 million to 1.3 million. Spending by these visitors also saw a significant rise of 31%, from £243 million to £317 million.
The increase in tourists from the Republic has been a key aspect of Northern Ireland's post-pandemic tourism recovery. Several factors likely contributed to this trend, including changes in consumer behavior during the pandemic. Travel restrictions limited international travel, encouraging people to explore destinations closer to home. This initially resulted in a rise in visitor numbers, which has been maintained.
'Promising Growth'
Northern Ireland may also be perceived as offering better value for money than the Republic for short breaks, alongside increased marketing efforts by Tourism NI.
The 2025 data also suggests that spending by visitors from Great Britain and Northern Ireland residents increased following a weaker 2024.
The NI Statistics and Research Agency, responsible for compiling the figures, stated:
"The NI domestic tourism market has shown promising growth in 2025 after a sharp decline in 2024. However, despite an encouraging recovery in 2025 (12% increase in trips to 1.8m from 2024), NI overnight trips has not yet returned to the 2.1m NI resident overnight trips recorded in 2023."
The main negative aspect of the data was a slight decline in international visitors.
