Markets

Ireland

Market Characterization for Portugal

In 2025, Ireland ranked as the 8th largest source market for Portugal in terms of overnight stays (share: 4.0%) and the 10th largest in terms of guests (2.9%). In 2025, the Irish market recorded approximately 563,700 guests (year-over-year change: +1.2%), who generated 2,281,030 overnight stays (year-over-year change: -0.6%). It stands out as the 6th largest market in terms of tourism receipts, with €1,226.5 million (share: 4.2%), up 2.8% compared to 2024.

In terms of overnight stays, the Algarve was the main destination for Irish tourists visiting Portugal (73.6%), followed by Lisboa (12.1%) and Norte (5.9%). By accommodation type, hotel stays predominated (39.6%), followed by hotéis-apartamentos (22.8%) and apartmentos tur´siticos (17.6%).

The airlines that carried Irish tourists to Portugal were: Ryanair (share: 66.6%), Aer Lingus (25.3%), TAP (8.0%), and others (0.1%). Most flights originated from Dublin (share: 76.8%), followed by Cork (12.3%), Shannon (7.5%), and others (3.4%)

According to SIBS data, the Algarve accounts for 33.9% of the €867.8 million in card spending originating from Ireland in 2025. Norte ranks third (share: 15.0%), after Lisboa (32.5%).

2025 Position | Year-over-Year Change

Guests 0.6M 10º | 1.1%

Overnight stays 2.3M 8º | -0.6%

Tourism receipts 1226.5M€ 6º | 2.8%

Disembarked passengers 0.9M 10º | 8.5%

Market Profile

Change 25/24

5.5 M Population

1.6 %

138081.4 USD GDP per Capita

3.1 %

2 % Inflation Rate

-0.4 pp

0 Savings Rate

0.0 %

Ireland had a population of 5.4 million in 2024 and was the 24th-largest economy in the world.

According to Globaldata, in 2024, Ireland was the 34th largest source market for tourists globally, generating 10.4 million trips and accounting for 0.7% of total global tourism demand. About 88.7% of tourist flows are concentrated on the European continent. The top 5 regions sending Irish tourists to Portugal were: Dublin (78.8% share), Cork (13.0%), Shannon (4.4%), Knock (2.2%), and Kerry County (1.6%).

In turn, 86.7% of trips abroad made by Irish tourists in 2024 were by air, 9.4% were by land (Eurotunnel), and 3.9% by sea.

Team

Market Team Coordinator

Carlos Pinto de Oliveira

Info.Ireland@turismodeportugal.pt

0035316316309

Outlook

The European Commission’s most recent projections indicate that the Irish economy contracted by 5.5% in 2023 as a result of the current unfavorable international economic climate: conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, rising energy costs, and higher prices for other raw materials and intermediate goods, but above all due to the decline in pharmaceutical exports and contract manufacturing activity by multinational companies.

A 0.2% decline is projected for 2024, which will be reversed in 2025 with 2.2% growth. According to GlobalData, between 2025 and 2028, international departures by Irish tourists are expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.2%, reaching 12.1 million departures in 2028. Spending by tourists from this country abroad is expected to increase at a CAGR of 10.1% over the same period.

According to data from OAG Schedules Analyser, based on the 2024 summer season compared to 2023 (April 1 to September 30), the following number of available airline seats is projected for major European destinations: Spain: 2.0 million seats (-8.1%), Italy: 700,000 (-7.8%), Portugal: 550,000 (-2.5%), Greece: 260,000 (-8.5%), Turkey: 250,000 (-15.8%), and Croatia: 220,000 (-19.2%). According to Forwardkeys data, flight forecasts for passengers traveling from the Irish market to Portugal for the period from January to August 2025 indicate a 6.0% decrease compared to the same period the previous year.

TOP 10 Destinations | 2024: United Kingdom (25.1%), Spain (23.7%), France (6.4%), Italy (5.5%), United States (5.3%), Portugal (5.2%), Germany (5.0%), Netherlands (2.3%), Poland (2.2%), and Greece (1.9%).