Quick Summary

	€1.53 billion was spent on domestic trips by Irish residents in 2015, of which almost €940 million was spent on holidays.
	The total amount spent on domestic trips was up 4.5% on the previous year, while spending on holiday trips grew by 10%.
	7.5 million trips taken by Irish residents within Ireland, an increase of 2% on the previous year.
	3.8 million trips were for holiday or leisure, a year on year increase of 6.5%.
	2015 was the best year for domestic tourism since 2009, but the level of demand has still to recover to the peak of 8 million trips taken in 2008.

Domestic travel continued to recover in 2015, with spending on holiday trips up 10%

The total number of trips taken by Irish residents last year just topped 7.5 million, representing 175,000 more trips than in the previous year. Expenditure on domestic trips reached €1.53 billion, €66 million more than in the previous year. The total number of nights spent within Ireland but away from home is estimated at 20.9 million, a 1% drop compared to a year earlier.

The holiday demand proved to be more buoyant than travel for other reasons. 3.8 million holiday/leisure trips were made last year, up 6.5% on 2014, with expenditure at €939 million up 10%. Total nights spent on domestic leisure trips is estimated at just over 12 million, a 4% increase on the previous year, with the average length of holiday trip at 3.2 nights.

The number of trips to visit friends and relatives (VFR), at 2.4 million, showed little change on the previous year, although expenditure declined by 8% to €278 million as the number of nights dropped by 8% to 5.8 million.

Business travel would appear to have been particularly soft with a drop of 13% to an estimated 350,000 trips. Associated expenditure at €84 million was down 15% with bednights down 22% to 620,000.

The number of trips for other reasons, including education, sporting events, medical and seeking employment, remained almost unchanged (950,000), with expenditure up 8% to an estimated €229 million.

The average length of trip in 2015 was down from 2.9 to 2.8 nights. Holiday trips averaging 3.2 nights were unchanged, while the average length of business trips dropped to 1.8 nights from 2.0 nights the previous year. VFR average trip length also dropped down from 2.6 to 2.4 nights.

The internet continues to grow as a means of making reservations, being used by almost three out of every four (74%) accommodation reservations in Q4 2015, up from 66% a year earlier.

Three out of every five euros spent on domestic travel came from holiday or leisure trips, generating €939 million, €87 million more than a year earlier.

A further €278 million was spent on VFR trips accounting for 18% of total spend, a decrease in absolute and share from the previous year.

Business trips expenditure at €84 million accounted for 6% share of the total, while expenditure on trips for other reasons at €229 million represented a 15% share.

41% of domestic trips used hotel accommodation, with 33% staying with friends and relatives in 2015.

Of the almost 21 million bednights spent away from home, almost one third (32%) were spent with friends and relatives, while 30% were spent in hotels. The absolute number of nights spent in hotels showed little change on the previous year, with the sector’s share of the domestic market inching up by one percentage point.

Self-catering or rental accommodation continues to be the next most popular form of paid accommodation being used by 8% of trips and accounting for 14% of total bednights, due to longer average stay.

Guesthouses/B&Bs and camping and caravanning each attracted close to 4% of bednights.
Own holiday homes were used on 7% of trips accounting for 12% of total bednights.

The average length of stay in hotels was 2 nights, unchanged from previous years, while the average stay in rented accommodation was 4.8 nights. Stays with friends and relatives averaged 2.7 nights, with stays in own holiday homes averaging 5 nights per trip.