Thurles Information

Two-speed tourism: national dip masks resilient domestic season in Tipperary, but are local results overstated?

Ireland’s tourism industry is finishing 2025 in two very different gears.

Nationally, the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) estimates overseas visitor numbers of 6.16 million, down 6% on 2024, with international visitor spend down 13% to about €5.27bn (excluding fares).
ITIC’s year-end review says North America stayed strong, with US visitor numbers up 4% and Canada up 8%, but performance weakened elsewhere, including Britain (-4%), France (-13%) and Germany (-8%).
See Irish Tourism Review.

The confederation points to persistent “value for money” pressures, citing Eurostat data that ranks Ireland among the highest-cost countries in the EU.
See ‘Comparative price levels of consumer goods and services’.

It also warns the sector is becoming increasingly exposed by its growing reliance on the North American market.

Yet in the regions, the picture can look more resilient, and Tipperary is certainly a case in point.

A Tipperary County Council “State of the Season” survey, covering months January to September 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, found 74% of participating businesses reported growth or stable performance, with 26% recording a decline.

Accommodation providers were mixed but largely steady, with 66% reporting increased or stable performance, while domestic tourism remained the strongest driver: 72% matched or exceeded domestic occupancy levels from 2024.
Attractions and activity providers reported even stronger results, with 82% up or stable on visitor numbers, underpinned by very strong Irish engagement, with 94% reporting domestic growth or stability.

The same report notes a clear behavioural shift: shorter stays and later booking patterns are now entrenched, putting greater emphasis on flexibility, sharp pricing and value-led packages.

So, the question remains, are the Tipperary reports being exaggerated?

It’s a reasonable question, but the most accurate way to frame it is that the Tipperary findings are a pulse survey, not a full census.
The report is based on feedback from 67 tourism businesses, meaning outcomes can be influenced by who participated, the mix of respondents (accommodation versus attractions, large versus small operators), and what “growth” means, (revenue, occupancy, footfall or simply sentiment).
It’s also notable that ITIC itself flags a broader measurement tension at national level, saying there can be a gap between CSO survey readings and “industry intelligence”, with some business indicators suggesting a flatter year than headline declines imply.

In other words, both things can be true at once: national inbound and spend can be down, while a county with strong domestic engagement, particularly in attractions and activities, can still report a broadly positive season among surveyed operators.

Personally, as a former worker within the industry and a full time resident within Tipperary, I would be slightly worried by the accuracy of some figures provided in relation to the ‘Tipperary Report’ findings.