7.5 million guest nights booked via online platforms last year
Figures published by the European Commission show almost one million additional guest nights were spent in such accommodation in 2024 compared to the previous year.
The figures, which are based on bookings made by holidaymakers through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor, confirm a strong performance by the tourist industry in 2024, both in Ireland and across the EU.
They reveal that foreign tourists accounted for approximately three-quarters of all guest nights in such accommodation in Ireland last year, booking over 5.5 million nights – up 17%.
The rate of growth was more sluggish among Irish holidaymakers, with over 1.9 million guest nights recorded in the domestic segment of the market in 2024, which is an annual increase of 10%.
On a regional level, the figures highlight how bookings are spread relatively evenly around the country, with almost 2.8 million guest nights spent in short-stay tourist accommodation last year in the southern region, which includes Cork, Kerry, Clare, Waterford, Wexford and Kilkenny. This is up 14% yearly.
A total of 2.35 million guest nights were booked in the northern and western regions, which includes Galway and Mayo, as well as most counties in the border region, representing an annual increase of almost 14%.
However, the biggest growth was recorded in the eastern and midland region, which includes Dublin and other counties in mid and north Leinster, where guest nights were up over 17% to almost 2.3 million.
At the same time, the eastern and midland region is the only one of the three Irish regions, based on EU classifications, which has still not exceeded its pre-pandemic number of bookings.
Despite last year's strong performance, the number of guest nights spent in the eastern and midland region is still 24% below the three million recorded in 2019.
In contrast, the number of guest nights in the northern and western region in 2024 was 39% ahead of pre-pandemic levels, while the figure for the southern region was 27%.
Overall, guest nights across Ireland booked via online platforms last year were up almost 8% on 2019 levels.
The latest figures show the eastern and midland region – largely due to Dublin's presence – is the most popular region for such stays among foreign visitors, with just over two million last year.
However, Dublin does not feature in the list of the top 20 of Europe's most popular city destinations based on guest nights arranged through online booking platforms.
Paris was again the favourite location with 23.5 million guest nights – the equivalent of almost 65,000 guests daily in the French capital.
It was followed by Rome (15.7 million); Barcelona (12.5 million); Madrid (11.8 million) and Lisbon (11.3 million).
Other cities with high levels of bookings via online platforms were Milan, Budapest, Athens, Nice, Porto and Vienna.
Across the EU, bookings soared to a record-breaking 854 million guest nights last year – up almost 19% on 2023 figures with an extra 135 million guest nights.
More than one in five of all guest nights last year were spent in France, with 192.4 million bookings, followed by Spain (170.6 million); Italy (126.7 million); Germany (60.4 million) and Greece (45.4 million).
Ireland is ranked in 15th place behind Sweden (8.0 million) but ahead of Denmark (7.3 million).
The most popular regions in the EU for tourists using such accommodation were Andalucia, Spain (44 million nights), the Adriatic region in Croatia (35 million) and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France (31 million).
The latest figures also show that more than a third of all guest nights arranged through platform-booked accommodation across the EU occurred in July and August, as well as in Ireland, where the two months accounted for 34% of all guest nights.
The figures, published by Eurostat, are the result of a landmark agreement reached in 2020 between the European Commission and the four leading platforms providing short-term accommodation booking services. It excludes figures for other types of accommodation, such as hotels or campsites.
The latest figures show solid growth in the number of guest nights booked online in the first quarter of 2025 across the EU – up 4.8% compared to the same period last year to 129.6 million guest nights.
However, numbers are up less than 1% in Ireland to just over 904,000.
The figures no longer include data on Tripadvisor since the start of 2025 as the company has exited the short-stay accommodation sector.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Journal
2 hours ago
- The Journal
Trump to push Wednesday tariff deadline out to 1 August
US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump will push back the deadline for the imposition of higher tariffs to 1 August, the White House has said. The deadline for countries to make deals before steeper tariffs kick in had been set for this Wednesday, but White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters this evening that Trump would be signing an executive order to delay it. The delay is the latest last-minute shift in Trump's trade policy, which has seen the US impose sweeping tariffs with on imports from around the world. Trump originally announced sweeping tariffs on world economies on what he called 'Liberation Day' on 2 April, claiming the United States was being 'ripped off.' When his policies created market turmoil, Trump then suspended the initial tariffs for 90 days, a deadline that was due to expire on Wednesday. Negotiations with states around the world are ongoing. Earlier today, Trump had hinted at the deadline extension when he sent nearly identical letters to Japan and South Korea informing them that 25% tariffs would come into effect on 1 August, rather than this Wednesday. Trump said the tariffs would be imposed on the two countries because their trading relationships with Washington were 'unfortunately, far from Reciprocal.' The Trump administration had promised to make 90 trade deals in the space of 90 days. Advertisement So far though, Washington has unveiled deals with only the UK and Vietnam, while also agreeing with China to temporarily lower tariff levels on each other's products that had gone well over 100%. Today, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he was 'hopeful' that the EU and US could reach a deal on trade following an update from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Harris said that he had also been briefed on the EU-US negotiations. In a statement this evening that showed the uncertainty caused by the inconsistent position of the US, Harris said while he had been briefed ahead of the expected Wednesday deadline, 'My understanding is that we can now expect an extension of the current status quo until 1 August'. Harris stressed that tariffs at even low levels would be 'bad for consumers, jobs, economic growth and investment'. 'The uncertainty is also bad for economic confidence and Irish businesses seeking clarity on the trading environment in which they operate. 'We have consistently called for zero-for-zero tariffs in as many areas as possible and I know the EU has advocated this course of action. He said that 'uncertainty continues' around many areas of US-EU trade, including the pharmaceutical sector. 'This is obviously an area of significant concern to Ireland,' he said. With reporting from AFP Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
US pauses plans for higher tariffs on EU as trade talks continue
The US is to pause plans to impose higher tariff rates on the EU until August as trade talks continue. However, the Government here has ruled out any once-off supports for businesses in this autumn's budget despite warning that the economy faces 'serious risks' as a result of US trade uncertainly. Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said he 'remains hopeful' that the US and the EU can agree an outline agreement or framework principle agreement this week after speaking with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, but he added that there are still 'a number of issues' to be negotiated. Although the Trump administration has provided a tariff extension beyond the initial deadline of this Wednesday, Tánaiste Simon Harris said it remains the position of the EU and the Irish Government that discussions on a trade agreement should be concluded before the new August 1 deadline. Mr Harris said: I want to be clear that while it is likely there will be some form of tariffs going forward, their imposition even at a lower rate is bad for consumers, jobs, economic growth, and investment. The Trump administration has already imposed 50% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imported into the US as well as 25% duties on cars and car parts. While the US appears adamant that a 10% 'universal' levy on most other exports will remain in place, the EU has been pushing for special 'zero-for-zero' exemptions on some products. No special package for businesses However, public expenditure minister Jack Chambers said there will be no special package for businesses in the budget even if a deal is not reached with the US. 'If there isn't an outcome, we know we're into a much greater level of uncertainty and but we're conscious in how we're engaging presently, that we are surrounded by uncertainty whether we have a deal or not,' he said. Speaking after a meeting of the Government's competitiveness forum, Mr Chambers added: 'We've been clear that the measures we take have to be permanent and sustained and sustainable, and that means real choices and priorities for each minister about how they want to approach budget 2026. There's no intention to have one-off or temporary measures, and we want to return to a much more regular, structured budgetary environment. He warned that extra funds will have to be found to pay for overruns within the HSE again this year. 'We know that the overall rate of current expenditure is at about 6.5%, year on year, and that's a moderation from what happened between 2023 and 2024. 'We need much better discipline across Government on how expenditure is managed within [the] year and also to manage the overall trajectory of public spending over the medium term.'
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on Paschal Donohoe's Eurogroup presidency: an important role - but don't forget the day job
Paschal Donohoe's re-election as president of the Eurogroup reflects a strong performance in the role over his previous two terms and the confidence of his euro zone colleagues Donohoe successfully campaigned for a third term and before the vote was even taken other candidates had thrown in the towel. France and Germany supported Donohoe, along with enough other ministers to give him a majority. Chairing the Eurogroup, an informal but important gathering of the 20 finance ministers from euro zone countries, is effectively an exercise in consensus-building, as countries try to move key issues forward, mostly for decision by the European Council. Reflecting the need to broker compromises between the major players, the job has never been held by one of the biggest member states – the previous incumbents were from Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Portugal. Donohoe chaired the group through the turbulence of Covid-19, the outbreak of the Ukraine war and the cost-of-living crisis, all of which inevitably took some focus off longer-term projects, such as creating a fully-functioning capital markets and banking union. These strategic developments are likely to be a key focus of Donohoe's third term. The Eurogroup also has an important role in the proposed digital euro – a project which has yet to grab the public's imagination. And it will remain a key sounding board for countries as they negotiate the fall-out from Trump's tariffs. READ MORE It is undoubtedly of value to Ireland to have a senior figure in such a central role, particularly given the access granted to the president of the Eurogroup to other vital gathering, such as those of the G7. This will, for example, have helped Donohoe plot a way for Ireland through the OECD corporate tax process, though unfortunately this deal is now in danger of collapse. That said, Donohoe also had a vital role to play at home, with tense budget negotiations ahead and uncertainty over the outlook for the public finances. He must, in other words, also continue to focus on the day job.
