Tourist industry chiefs will meet State statisticians next week as a debate over the accuracy of visitor numbers to the Republic rolls on.
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) said on Tuesday that 441,200 tourists visited the State in March, 15 per cent fewer than during the same month last year. They spent €326 million, excluding their fares, 22 per cent less than in March 2024, according to the figures.
However, the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation (ITIC) and the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) claim those numbers fell short of what hospitality businesses experienced last month.
Both organisations will meet the CSO next week to establish why the industry’s numbers differ from official figures, according to Gregg Patrick, statistician at the CSO’s tourism and travel division.
Industry groups previously questioned CSO results showing a 30 per cent fall in February visitors, saying their figures showed that tourism was either flat or slightly down that month.
Mr Patrick acknowledged that both sides could be comparing different data. The CSO relies on monthly surveys of 13,000 visitors whose country of residence is checked.
The office applied a new methodology in 2023, with a subsequent independent review having upheld its approach, said Mr Patrick. “We are standing by our methodology.”
However, the statistician pointed out that his office was not challenging figures produced by the industry.
Eoghan O’Mara Walsh, ITIC chief executive, said on Tuesday that the industry felt the CSO had overstated first-quarter figures last year. “When comparing to that period it looks as if tourism’s performance is stalling, whereas in fact all evidence suggests that it is stable.”
IHF chief Paul Gallagher said indications were that tourism had held up so far this year. “The latest industry figures show that hotels achieved average room occupancies in March on a par with the same month last year, while bookings for the first quarter were up 2 per cent year-on-year.”
