Independent Ireland leader and Cork South-West Deputy Michael Collins TD has called on the Government to focus on delivering additional support for Ireland\u2019s tourism industry as the sector \u201centers a period of profound uncertainty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deputy Collins warned that, without robust action, many small towns and rural communities could suffer through the coming months as tourism operators and associated businesses face \u201cchallenges\u201d heading into 2026.<\/p>\n
Recent figures published by the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation indicate that visitor numbers to Ireland have fallen during 2025, with overall expenditure and international arrivals down significantly compared with previous years. Although some forecasts point to a modest rebound in revenue in 2026, the outlook remains fragile, particularly for regions heavily dependent on overseas tourism.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As Gript reported, figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) revealed that the number of foreign tourists visiting Ireland had fallen by 7.5% so as of October 2025.<\/p>\n
Despite a slight rise in September, the overall number of visits and spending for the period remained below 2024 levels. Foreign visitor arrivals in Ireland totaled 4,851,000 from January to September 2025, down from 5,245,000 in the same period of 2024.<\/p>\n
Foreign visitors spent a total of 4.3 million nights in Ireland in September, down 4% on a year earlier and 7% lower than September 2023. The average stay was 7.1 nights, compared with 7.8 nights in September 2024 and 8.0 in September 2023.<\/p>\n
Tourist spending also declined. Visitors spent more than \u20ac570 million in Ireland in September, excluding fares \u2013 a 16% drop from the same month in 2024 and 5% less than in 2023.<\/p>\n
Collins noted that \u201cthe people who drive our tourism industry \u2013 hoteliers, guesthouse owners, tour operators, local craftspeople and their employees \u2013 are facing unprecedented strain. The data suggests a downturn that is testing the resilience of communities right across Ireland. It is imperative that Government listens and acts decisively.\u201d<\/p>\n
He continued, \u201cThis sector is a cornerstone of our economy and our cultural identity. We cannot afford to let uncertainty define our future. We need targeted supports, strategic marketing to key overseas markets, and policy certainty that gives confidence to business owners, workers and visitors alike.\u201d<\/p>\n
Independent TD Mattie McGrath previously called on the Government to \u201cstop fighting like children in the D\u00e1il\u201d after CSO figures for February 2025 revealed a 30% drop in visitor numbers for that period compared to figures for 2024, the drop in generated revenue also being similarly reduced.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the time McGrath told Gript that he believed that much of the downturn was attributable to the \u201cutter madness\u201d of \u201ctying so many of our hotels and guesthouses up as asylum centres\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cMuch of it is a simple case supply and demand,\u201d he said. \u201cFewer available rooms means upward pressure on prices, and tourists can\u2019t afford to pay those steep prices. Also, many of the tourist\u00a0 accommodation and service providers are also hard-pressed to pay for overheads, with the cost of energy still beng a huge problem driving up prices.<\/p>\n
Deputy Collins has previously highlighted concerns over accommodation availability and cost pressures that are affecting competitiveness, particularly in rural areas where Independent Ireland say capacity limitations risk displacing visitors and undermining local enterprises.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have seen in recent months how vulnerable the industry can be to external shocks,\u201d he said, adding. \u201cThat makes it all the more important that we take proactive steps now to safeguard jobs, sustain regional economies, and ensure that Ireland remains a destination of choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deputy Collins reiterated his call for a tourism strategy that would bring forward proposals aimed at strengthening infrastructure, enhancing international promotion and addressing the workforce and cost challenges that continue to burden the industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we look to 2026, our focus must be on resilience and renewal,\u201d he said. \u201cTourism should not be an afterthought in national planning \u2013 it should be central to it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Independent Ireland leader and Cork South-West Deputy Michael Collins TD has called on the Government to focus on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":350009,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[84,1294,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-350008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy","tag-business","tag-economy","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350008","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=350008"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350008\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/350009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=350008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=350008"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=350008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}