The number of tourists coming to Ireland is down 7.5% so far this year compared to 2024, according to data from the Central Statistics Office.
From January to September this year there were 4,851,000 foreign visitors compared to 5,245,000 in the same period last year.
Expenditure so far this year by tourists was €5.7 billion, down from €6.6 billion the same time last year, a drop of 13%.
There was a decrease in the amount spent on accommodation from €2 billion to €1.7 billion, a fall of 15%.
So far this year the numbers of tourists using hotels has been similar to last year at 275,000.
However, the figures show the number of tourists coming to Ireland last month was up 5% compared to September of last year.
But the average length of stay last month was 7.1 nights, down from an average of 7.8 nights in September 2024 and 8 nights in September 2023.
The visitors spent over €570m on their trips (excluding fares), down 16% when compared with September 2024, and a decrease of 5% compared with September 2023.
Eoghan O'Mara Walsh, CEO of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation, said the CSO's figures do not tally with the experience of industry.
He said so far this year "it is flat or down marginally."
But he said the CSO's figures showed a "more dramatic decline."
He said that was not the experience of the main tourism attractions or the large hotel groups.
