Annual/Quarterly.
Domestic and Outbound travel patterns which involve overnight stays and same-day trips, and associated variables, of all residents of the Republic of Ireland.
All private households.
The purpose of the Household Travel Survey (HTS) is to measure domestic and outbound travel patterns involving overnight and same-day trips and including associated details (expenditure, purpose of trip, type of accommodation used etc.) of Irish residents. The survey is one of several Central Statistics Office (CSO) tourism surveys conducted to comply with the requirements of Council Directive 95/57/EC of 23 November 1995 concerning the collection of statistical information in the field of tourism for data to the end of 2011 and Regulation (EU) No 692/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2011 concerning European statistics on tourism and repealing Council Directive 95/57/EC in respect of data from the beginning of 2012.
In Q2 2023 the Household Travel Survey moved from a paper-based survey to an electronic data capture method using an EQ questionnaire. Initial analysis has found no significant effects on the survey results due to this survey mode change, but further scrutiny will continue as additional data periods are compiled using this new electronic questionnaire.
Following the introduction of Covid-19 travel restrictions in March 2020, the HTS survey was temporarily suspended. The survey resumed initially in Quarter 3 2020 as an all-island travel survey only.
In January 2021, the HTS postal survey form was split into two separate forms using two separate samples. The first form (Form A) asks questions of selected households about overnight trips and day trips (same-day trips) taken in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland. The second form (Form B) asks questions about overnight trips and day trips (same-day trips) taken outside the island of Ireland. It does not ask about trips in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland. In practical terms this means that a selected household will only receive and be asked to complete one of the abovementioned survey forms.
In terms of published HTS results on domestic travel, these only include data relating to household travel within the Republic of Ireland. Trips to Northern Ireland are included under outbound tourism for results purposes (see definitions for both domestic tourism and outbound tourism below).
From 2022 data on outbound trips to Northern Ireland is no longer calibrated to trends in other outbound destinations. This is due to better coverage of travel to Northern Ireland with the introduction of an additional all-island version of the survey form.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions the collection of all travel information from Irish households was suspended for Q2 2020, and no information on outbound travel (excluding Northern Ireland) was collected in Q3 2020 and Q4 2020. To comply with the Regulation (EU) No 629/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the collection of tourism statistics, the CSO has now generated estimated data on travel for these periods.
In order to estimate HTS domestic travel data for Q2 2020, the period Q1 2021 was considered a credible 'donor' period, since domestic travel restrictions were broadly similar in both quarters. Data collected in the Q1 2021 HTS was calibrated up to population totals for Q2 2020, but while the two lockdowns had similar restrictions they were not exactly the same in terms of domestic activity. To account for this and further refine the estimation for Q2 2020 travel, national traffic counter data from Q2 2020 and Q1 2021 was used to gauge the difference between both periods and produce an additional adjustment to the grossing factors in the final file. The estimated Q2 2020 data is considered valid in terms of the overall total of trips, nights and expenditure for the quarter, but the detailed breakdowns by variables such as reason for journey, type of accommodation or region visited are only valid in terms of their input into the 2020 annual totals for these statistics.
The estimation of outbound trips for Q2 2020 - Q4 2020 proved more problematic since travel restrictions varied considerably across this time period in terms of national rules and travel regulations being imposed by other countries. Other CSO surveys on international travel which the HTS used for calibration purposes, such as the Overseas Travel Survey and the Passenger Card Inquiry were also suspended during this period.
In the absence of alternative data, an experimental approach was adopted to compile HTS outbound trip data for Q2 2020 - Q4 2020.
This involved the use of data from Q1 2021 for outbound trips for Q2 2020 similar to what was undertaken for domestic trips, and the use of data from Q3 2019 and Q4 2019 (excluding trips to Northern Ireland) as a substitute for Q3 2020 and Q4 2020 respectively. These datasets provided the basis for generating estimated data for outbound trips which was then adjusted using Air and Sea travel data to generate grossing factors for the 2020 quarterly periods, and overall trends similar to those in the Air and Sea departing data between 2019 and 2020.
For overall outbound trips, nights and expenditure the results of this estimation are considered useful in terms of quarterly and annual changes and allow a continuous time-series in the HTS results. However, the detailed breakdowns of these totals are not of sufficient quality to be released. A review of this estimation process will take place in the future if alternative information become available.
The HTS is a random stratified sample. Since January 2020, each month over 4,600 households (or approximately 0.3% of all private households) are randomly selected from the CSO’s household register. This register is based on data from public sector databases used for statistical purposes by the CSO under the Statistics Act, 1993. Prior to this the Electoral Register was used to select the sample, where the selection was stratified by District Electoral Division.
The sample size for some subcategories/breakdowns can be small and therefore caution should be taken when analysing this data.
A trip refers to the travel by a person from the time of departure from his/her usual residence until he/she returns: it thus refers to a round trip. A trip is made up of visits to different places. Only trips which were not part of regular travel are recorded in the HTS.
Included are all overnight and same-day trips for personal or professional purposes that ended in the reference month e.g. holidays, visiting friends or relatives, business or professional trips, sporting or religious events, medical visits, shopping trips.
Excluded are all weekly or more frequent trips that are part of normal routine such as visits to parent’s home each weekend, weekly visits to hospital, travel to place of work, and regular routes by commercial travellers. Same-day trips taken that were less than 30km from usual residence are also excluded.
The cost of each trip includes all expenditure for each trip (e.g. air fares, taxi fares, accommodation costs, food and drink costs) regardless of the method of payment. The cost covers both payments made by all household members in the travel party and all expenses paid for or reimbursed by others (e.g. employer).
Excluded from trip costs are any expenditure on housing, land, real estate, goods for resale, donations to charities/institutions or cash presents/payments to relatives and friends who are not part of the travel party.
Joe is a 42 year old Irish resident from Cork. He returned from a 7 night holiday break in Mayo where he stayed in a hotel. He took the bus to Mayo and his total expenditure on the trip was €1,876.
To calculate the total expenditure on each trip the following categories are used: accommodation costs, transport costs, package tour costs, expenditure on valuables, expenditure on durable consumer goods and other expenditure such as meals, drinks, shopping and entertainment.
In the example Joe spent €875 on hotel accommodation for the 7 nights. Transport by bus to and from Mayo cost €49 and he spent an additional €30 on taxi journeys during his trip. He bought an electronic tablet for €200. Additionally, while on his trip he spent €500 on food and drink, €167 on shopping and €55 for a fishing excursion.
Joe is a 42 year old Irish resident from Cork. He took a same-day trip to Wexford for leisure, where he spent 5 hours in the town. He drove to Wexford and his total expenditure on the trip was €262.
In the example Joe spent a total of €55 on fuel for his car, parking charges in Wexford and toll changes on the N25. A meal during his stay cost him €79, and he spent €128 on a guided tour and souvenirs.
Joe is a 42 year old Irish resident from Cork. He returned from a 7 night holiday break in Spain where he stayed in a hotel. He flew to Spain and his total expenditure on the trip was €1,876.
To calculate the total expenditure on each trip the following categories are used: accommodation costs, transport costs, package tour costs, expenditure on valuables, expenditure on durable consumer goods and other expenditure such as meals, drinks, shopping and entertainment.
In the example Joe spent €725 on hotel accommodation for the 7 nights. Transport costs, including flight to Spain and taxi journeys cost €229. He bought an electronic tablet for €200. Additionally, while on his trip he spent €500 on food and drink, €167 on shopping and €55 on an excursion.
Joe is a 42 year old Irish resident from Cork. He took a same-day trip to England for leisure, where he spent 12 hours at his destination. He flew to England and his total expenditure on the trip was €262.
In the example Joe spent a total of €55 on return flights and taxi journeys. A lunch and dinner during his stay cost him €79, and he spent €128 on a short excursion and some souvenirs.
Means the activity of visitors taking a trip to a main destination outside their usual environment, for less than a year, for any main purpose, including business, leisure or other personal purpose, other than to be employed by a resident entity in the place visited.
The usual environment of an individual is defined as the geographical area (though not necessarily a contiguous one) within which an individual conducts his/her regular life routines. Places that are frequently visited are part of a person’s usual environment even though they may be located at a considerable distance (or in another country) from the place of residence.
For the purposes of this release, trips taken on a weekly or more frequent basis are considered to be within a respondent’s usual environment and are thus excluded from estimates for tourism trips. The one exception being that of holiday homes which although may be frequently visited, are considered outside the usual environment according to the UNWTO 2008 International Recommendations on Tourism Statistics (IRTS).
Domestic tourism is defined as the activities of residents of the Republic of Ireland travelling to and staying in places only within the Republic of Ireland but outside their usual environment.
The following categories are excluded from the definition of domestic travel:
Outbound tourism is defined as the activities of residents of the Republic of Ireland travelling to and staying in places outside the Republic of Ireland and outside their usual environment. It is important to note that trips to Northern Ireland are included under outbound tourism for results purposes.
From 2012 onwards expenditure on outbound travel includes the cost of second-hand car imports.
The following categories are excluded from outbound travel:
An overnight visitor is a visitor who stays at least one night in collective or private accommodation in the place, county or country visited.
Total consumption expenditure is any expenditure made by a visitor or on behalf of a visitor during their trip and stay at their destination.
Tourism expenditure includes purchases of consumer goods and services inherent in travel and stay (e.g. travel to, from and at destination, accommodation costs, food and drink, excursions), purchases of durable goods for personal use, souvenirs and gifts for family and friends.
The following outlays or acquisitions are excluded:
Total consumption expenditure is any expenditure made by a visitor or on behalf of a visitor during their trip and stay at their destination.
Tourism expenditure includes purchases of consumer goods and services inherent in travel and stay (e.g. travel to, from and at destination, accommodation costs, food and drink, excursions), purchases of durable goods for personal use, souvenirs and gifts for family and friends.
Expenditure on valuables such as paintings, works of art, jewellery and on durable consumer goods such as cars, boats, mobile homes and caravans are also included.
The following outlays or acquisitions are excluded:
Individual figures have been rounded independently and the sum of the component items therefore may not necessarily add to the totals shown.
The regional classifications used for Domestic Travel are based on the NUTS (Nomenclature of Territorial Units) classification used by Eurostat. Until Q4 2017, the NUTS 3 regions corresponded to the eight Regional Authorities established under the Local Government Act, 1991 and Regional Authorities Establishment Order, 1993, which came into operation on 1 January 1994. The NUTS 2 regions, which were proposed by Government and agreed by Eurostat in 1999, were groupings of the NUTS 3 regions. The composition of the regions is set out below.
| Border, Midland and Western NUTS 2 Region | Southern and Eastern NUTS 2 Region | ||
| Border | Cavan | Dublin | Dublin City |
| Donegal | Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown | ||
| Leitrim | Fingal | ||
| Louth | South Dublin | ||
| Monaghan | |||
| Sligo | Mid-East | Kildare | |
| Meath | |||
| Midland | Laois | Wicklow | |
| Longford | |||
| Offaly | Mid-West | Clare | |
| Westmeath | Limerick City | ||
| Limerick | |||
| West | Galway City | North Tipperary | |
| Galway | |||
| Mayo | South-East | Carlow | |
| Roscommon | Kilkenny | ||
| South Tipperary | |||
| Waterford City | |||
| Waterford | |||
| Wexford | |||
| South-West | Cork City | ||
| Cork | |||
| Kerry | |||
However, changes made under the 2014 Local Government Act prompted a revision to the Irish NUTS 2 and NUTS 3 Regions. These changes included:
The revisions made to the NUTS boundaries have been given legal status under Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/2066 and have come into force from Q1 2018. The new NUTS 2 and NUTS 3 structure are displayed in the table below:
| Northern & Western NUTS2 Region | Southern NUTS2 Region | Eastern & Midland NUTS2 Region | |||
| Border | Cavan | Mid-West | Clare | Dublin | Dublin City |
| Donegal | Limerick City & County | Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown | |||
| Leitrim | Tipperary | Fingal | |||
| Monaghan | South Dublin | ||||
| Sligo | |||||
| West | Galway City | South-East | Carlow | Mid-East | Kildare |
| Galway County | Kilkenny | Meath | |||
| Mayo | Waterford City & County | Wicklow | |||
| Roscommon | Wexford | Louth | |||
| South-West | Cork City | Midland | Laois | ||
| Cork County | Longford | ||||
| Kerry | Offaly | ||||
| Westmeath | |||||
The Household Travel Survey results by region can be found on the CSO Statbank. The figures for Q1 2018 are available at NUTS 2 level under the new NUTS regions structure. Data prior to Q1 2018 are available using the older NUTS regions.
List of Regions and Countries - Outbound Travel
| EU includes the following countries: | ||
| Austria | France | Netherlands |
| Belgium | Germany | Poland |
| Bulgaria | Greece | Portugal |
| Croatia (from 1/7/2013) | Hungary | Romania |
| Cyprus | Italy | Slovakia |
| Czech Republic | Latvia | Slovenia |
| Denmark | Lithuania | Spain |
| Estonia | Luxembourg | Sweden |
| Finland | Malta | |
| Other Europe includes the following countries: | ||
| Aland Islands | Isle of Man | Russian Federation |
| Albania | Jersey | San Marino |
| Andorra | Kosovo | Serbia |
| Belarus | Liechtenstein | Svalbard and Jan Mayen |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of | Switzerland |
| Faroe Islands | Moldova, Republic of | Turkey |
| Gibraltar | Monaco | Ukraine |
| Guernsey | Montenegro | United Kingdom (from 1/1/2021) |
| Iceland | Norway | Vatican City |
| USA and Canada includes the following countries: | ||
| Canada | ||
| United States | ||
| Central, South and Other Americas includes the following countries: | ||
| Anguilla | Dominican Republic | Paraguay |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Ecuador | Peru |
| Argentina | El Salvador | Puerto Rico |
| Aruba | Falkland Islands (Malvinas) | Saint Kitts and Nevis |
| Bahamas | French Guiana | Saint Lucia |
| Barbados | Greenland | Saint Martin |
| Belize | Grenada | Saint Pierre and Miquelon |
| Bermuda | Guadeloupe | Saint Vincent & the Grenadines |
| Bolivia | Guatemala | Saint-Barthelemy |
| Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba | Guyana | Sint Maarten |
| Brazil | Haiti | Suriname |
| Cayman Islands | Honduras | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Chile | Jamaica | Turks and Caicos Islands |
| Colombia | Martinique | Uruguay |
| Costa Rica | Mexico | Venezuela |
| Cuba | Montserrat | Virgin Islands, British |
| Curacao | Nicaragua | Virgin Islands, US |
| Dominica | Panama | |
| Asia includes the following countries: | ||
| Afghanistan | Japan | Palestine, State of |
| Armenia | Jordan | Philippines |
| Azerbaijan | Kazakhstan | Qatar |
| Bahrain | Korea, Democratic People's Republic of | Saudi Arabia |
| Bangladesh | Korea, Republic of | Singapore |
| Bhutan | Kuwait | Sri Lanka |
| British Indian Ocean Territory | Kyrgyzstan | Syrian Arab Republic |
| Brunei Darussalam | Lao People's Democratic Republic | Taiwan, Province of China |
| Cambodia | Lebanon | Tajikistan |
| China | Macao | Thailand |
| Georgia | Malaysia | Timor Leste |
| Hong Kong | Maldives | Turkmenistan |
| India | Mongolia | United Arab Emirates |
| Indonesia | Myanmar | Uzbekistan |
| Iran, Islamic Republic of | Nepal | Vietnam |
| Iraq | Oman | Yemen |
| Israel | Pakistan | |
| Africa includes the following countries: | ||
| Algeria | Gambia | Rwanda |
| Angola | Ghana | Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha |
| Benin | Guinea | Sao Tome and Principe |
| Botswana | Guinea-Bissau | Senegal |
| Burkina Faso | Kenya | Seychelles |
| Burundi | Lesotho | Sierra Leone |
| Cameroon | Liberia | Somalia |
| Cape Verde | Libya | South Africa |
| Central African Republic | Madagascar | South Sudan |
| Chad | Malawi | Sudan |
| Comoros | Mali | Swaziland |
| Congo | Mauritania | Tanzania, United Republic of |
| Congo, the Democratic Republic of the | Mauritius | Togo |
| Cote d’Ivoire | Mayotte | Tunisia |
| Djibouti | Morocco | Uganda |
| Egypt | Mozambique | Western Sahara |
| Equatorial Guinea | Namibia | Zambia |
| Eritrea | Niger | Zimbabwe |
| Ethiopia | Nigeria | |
| Gabon | Reunion | |
| Australia, New Zealand and Oceania includes the following countries: | ||
| American Samoa | Heard Island & McDonald Islands | Papua New Guinea |
| Antarctica | Kiribati | Pitcairn Islands |
| Australia | Marshall Islands | Samoa |
| Bouvet Island | Micronesia, Federated States of | Solomon Islands |
| Christmas Island | Nauru | South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands |
| Cocos (Keeling) Islands | New Caledonia | Tokelau |
| Cook Islands | New Zealand | Tonga |
| Fiji | Niue | Tuvalu |
| French Polynesia | Norfolk Island | United States Minor Outlying Islands |
| French Southern Territories | Northern Mariana Islands | Vanuatu |
| Guam | Palau | Wallis and Futuna |
Review of 2018 data
The Quarter 2 2018 Household Travel Survey publication was suspended in October 2018 due to concerns the CSO had about the quality of the data collected in the survey. The Quarter 3 and 4 2018 publications were subsequently also deferred while the CSO conducted an in-depth examination of the statistical issues affecting the results.
The statistical quality issues of concern were a falling response rate to the survey and, in tandem with this, a substantial increase in the percentage incidence of trips taken in the respondent sample. The CSO considered the values observed across the survey’s key indicators (i.e. domestic and outbound trips, nights and expenditure) to be implausible when compared to those of previous years; and considered that there was a strong possibility of statistical bias in the survey data.
In response the CSO undertook a comprehensive investigation of the current statistical processes in the HTS, reviewing the sampling, collection, processing, and estimation methodology and the survey data. The purpose of the review was to identify anything that could be having a biasing impact on the survey results and consider what options were available to address the issues in the data.
Following the outcome of this review (outlined in more detail in the report linked below) the CSO has decided to apply a statistical adjustment to the 2018 HTS data to address a response bias in the proportion of people responding to the survey who had taken an overnight trip.
The HTS data published for 2018 is to be considered interim and may be subject to future revision. Further information is included in the Methodology Note on Review of Household Travel Survey 2018, published by the CSO at: Methodology Note on Review of Household Travel Survey 2018
Domestic Travel
From Quarter 1 2012 onwards, survey data for domestic travel is weighted to agree with population estimates broken down by sex, age group and region (NUTS 3). These population estimates are provided by the CSO's Demography Unit. These weightings are then applied to survey results.
Outbound Travel
From Quarter 1 2012 onwards, survey data for outbound travel are weighted to agree with population estimates broken down by sex, age group and region (NUTS 3). These population estimates are provided by the CSO's Demography Unit. These weightings are then applied to survey results. The results for outbound travel are subsequently further weighted to agree with the Tourism & Travel results.
Revisions to data (2012-2015)
There have been revisions to domestic and outbound travel data from Quarter 1 2012 onwards as a result of the change to the weighting methodology. Revised data are published in Quarter 1 2016 release. A summary of the effect of these revisions is shown in the enclosed table.
2012 2013 2014 2015
| Table : Household Travel Survey - summary effect of revisions of data due to changed methodology | ||||
| Total Domestic - Trips '000 (data pre revision) | 7,031 | 7,111 | 7,354 | 7,529 |
| Total Domestic - Trips '000 (data revised) | 8,291 | 8,413 | 8,991 | 9,125 |
| % Difference | 17.9% | 18.3% | 22.3% | 21.2% |
| Total Domestic - Nights '000 (data pre revision) | 20,120 | 20,649 | 21,204 | 20,931 |
| Total Domestic - Nights '000 (data revised) | 23,703 | 24,195 | 26,086 | 25,267 |
| % Difference | 17.8% | 17.2% | 23.0% | 20.7% |
| Domestic - Expenditure €m (data pre revision) | 1,345.4 | 1,373.2 | 1,464.0 | 1,529.9 |
| Domestic - Expenditure €m (data revised) | 1,514.2 | 1,533.0 | 1,713.5 | 1,725.3 |
| % Difference | 12.5% | 11.6% | 17.0% | 12.8% |
| Total Outbound - Trips '000 (data pre revision) | 6,600 | 6,579 | 6,676 | 7,077 |
| Total Outbound - Trips '000 (data revised) | 6,623 | 6,575 | 6,677 | 7,094 |
| % Difference | 0.3% | -0.1% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Total Outbound - Nights '000 (data pre revision) | 53,046 | 52,078 | 53,635 | 53,477 |
| Total Outbound - Nights '000 (data revised) | 53,112 | 51,985 | 53,652 | 53,515 |
| % Difference | 0.1% | -0.2% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| Outbound - Expenditure €m (data pre revision) | 5,345.2 | 5,392.5 | 5,598.2 | 6,016.8 |
| Outbound - Expenditure €m (data revised) | 5,342.5 | 5,384.2 | 5,590.2 | 6,022.1 |
| % Difference | -0.1% | -0.2% | -0.1% | 0.1% |
Break in series
Arising from these changes, discontinuities in all of the series relating to outbound and domestic travel have occurred. Therefore, these results are not directly comparable with the results prior to Quarter 1 2012.