Monthly.
With effect from the January 2018 release, the CSO has re-introduced a monthly series for the main categories, replacing the previous three month rolling series. Monthly data from January 2016 is provided.
Overseas Travel.
This release covers Overseas Travel into and out of the Republic of Ireland, however travel by residents of Northern Ireland into or out of the Republic of Ireland or domestic travel within the Republic of Ireland is excluded.
Data from the Country of Residence Survey (CRS) is used in this release. This survey is conducted at Dublin, Cork, Shannon, Knock and Kerry airports and Rosslare, Ringaskiddy and Dublin seaports. Residency data is collected from passengers by a Central Statistics Office (CSO) interviewer. Surveys are also conducted on behalf of the CSO at Holyhead Port by the UK's Office of National Statistics.
A sample of flights and sailings is selected to facilitate proper representation of airport/seaport pairings, day, night, week day and weekend flights/sailings.
On the selected flights/sailings for the CRS, a 1 in 5 (20%) systematic sample of passengers is selected and their country of residence is recorded.
Sample results are grossed to total passenger numbers travelling for each airport or seaport pairing, as provided by the airports and ferry companies.
Where there is no survey coverage in a period for an airport/seaport pairing, results are imputed using the 'nearest neighbour' imputation methodology.
The sample size for the Overseas Travel release in respect of January 2019 was just above 35,000 passengers.
Seasonally adjusted monthly data is available. Trip numbers are subject to a high degree of seasonality. These seasonal fluctuations do not affect annual comparisons but they do affect monthly or quarterly comparisons. Typically trips are at their highest during the summer months, although there are also clear peaks around Christmas and Easter. To facilitate interpretation of underlying trends, trip numbers are adjusted to remove these seasonal trends. Seasonal adjustment is conducted using the direct seasonal adjustment approach. Under this approach each individual series is independently adjusted each month, e.g. aggregate series are adjusted without reference to the component series. Seasonal adjustment models are developed for each series based on unadjusted data from January 2000 to the current period. These models are then applied to the entire series. Seasonal factors are updated each month.
The adjustments are completed by applying the X-12-ARIMA model, developed by the U.S. Census Bureau to the unadjusted data. This methodology estimates seasonal factors while also taking into consideration factors that impact on the quality of the seasonal adjustment such as:
Individual figures have been rounded independently and the sum of the component items may therefore not necessarily add to the totals shown.
Estimation of survey results using the above sampling design introduces a statistical variability which would not be present if all passengers from every flight/sailing had been sampled. This means that the survey results are best estimates based on the information collected for the sample.
The CSO "Airport Pairings" database contains information on every direct flight in and out of the nine Irish airports on a monthly basis. The most recent monthly passenger figures will be added to the database two months after the end of the reference month. For details please click here.
(1) Trips
The data presented in this report is in terms of trip numbers. A trip is defined as a journey (usually including the return) from one place to another.
(2) Visitor
The definition of Visitor used in these surveys is based on that agreed with Eurostat, the European Statistical Office. A Visitor is defined as 'any person travelling to a place other than that of his/her usual environment for less than twelve months and whose main purpose is other than the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited'. However, as the CRS does not establish the reason for an individual's trip or length of stay, those travelling for reason of remuneration or for more than one year to a country cannot be excluded. Therefore, trips may include those travelling for paid work. Commercial Drivers travelling on sea routes are excluded.
(3) Country of Residence
Country of Residence is defined as the country in which the person has resided during the past year.
(4) Transit/Transfer Passengers
Transit passengers are defined as those who make a stop at an airport without any particular purpose other than being en route to another destination. These passengers generally do not disembark from their aircraft and are not covered by the Country of Residence Survey.
Transfer passengers or 'connecting passengers' are also defined as those who make a stop at an airport without any particular purpose other than being en route to another destination. However, unlike transits, transfer passengers disembark the aircraft and pass through the airport en route to their connecting flight. The two flights must be booked on the same ticket for it to be considered a transfer. Such passengers are included in the estimates of trips for Overseas Travel release and are treated in the same manner as same-day visits. This is in line with UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organisation) International Recommendations on Tourism Statistics. Transfers are surveyed for the Country of Residence Survey.
| Overseas Trips to Ireland and Transfer Trips | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Overseas trips to Ireland 1 | Number of transfer trips through Dublin Airport 2 |
| 2010 | 6,037,100 | 162,100 |
| 2011 | 6,505,200 | 165,000 |
| 2012 | 6,517,200 | 201,200 |
| 2013 | 6,985,900 | 274,100 |
| 2014 | 7,604,400 | 374,600 |
| 2015 | 8,643,000 | 474,400 |
| 2016 | 9,584,400 | 583,400 |
| 2017 | 9,932,100 | 784,700 |
| 2018 | 10,616,300 | 925,000 |
| 1 Source: Overseas Travel Release, CSO | ||
| 2 Source: Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) | ||
A transfer trip is a completed journey – for example a passenger who travels from London Gatwick to Dublin Airport and then on to New York (on the one ticket) is counted as two transfer passengers and one transfer trip.
In 2018, the number of overseas trips to Ireland increased by 6.9% when compared with 2017. Excluding transfer trips, the annual increase in overseas trips to Ireland would have been 5.9%.
In 2017, the number of overseas trips to Ireland increased by 3.6% when compared with 2016. Excluding transfer trips, the annual increase in overseas trips to Ireland would have been 1.6%.
(5) Timing of Easter
Easter falls each year on a Sunday between March 22nd and April 25th, inclusively. In 2018 Easter Sunday fell on April 1st, while in 2017 it fell on April 16th. Trip numbers each year are greatly influenced by when Easter falls.
Dates for Easter Sunday
2018 – 1st April
2017 – 16th April
2016 – 27th March
2015 – 5th April
2014 – 20th April
2013 – 31st March
2012 - 8th April
|
Other Europe Tables 1-2, 4 and 6 Includes the following countries: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Aland Islands | Greece | Norway |
| Albania | Guernsey | Poland |
| Andorra | Hungary | Portugal |
| Austria | Iceland | Romania |
| Belarus | Isle of Man | Russian Federation |
| Belgium | Italy | San Marino |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Jersey | Serbia |
| Bulgaria | Kosovo | Slovakia |
| Croatia | Latvia | Slovenia |
| Cyprus | Liechtenstein | Spain |
| Czech Republic | Lithuania | Svalbard and Jan Mayen |
| Denmark | Luxembourg | Sweden |
| Estonia | North Macedonia, Republic of | Switzerland |
| Faroe Islands | Malta | Turkey |
| Finland | Moldova, Republic of | Ukraine |
| France | Monaco | Vatican City |
| Germany | Montenegro | |
| Gibraltar | Netherlands | |
|
Other Areas Tables 1-2, 4 and 6 Includes the following countries: |
|---|
| Africa (see below for breakdown of countries) |
| Australia, New Zealand and Other Oceania (see below for breakdown of countries) |
| Central, South and Other Americas (see below for breakdown of countries) |
| Asia (see below for breakdown of countries) |
|
Other Europe Table 3 Includes the following countries: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Aland Islands | Greece | Netherlands |
| Albania | Guernsey | Norway |
| Andorra | Hungary | Poland |
| Austria | Iceland | Portugal |
| Belarus | Isle of Man | Romania |
| Belgium | Jersey | Russian Federation |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Kosovo | San Marino |
| Bulgaria | Latvia | Serbia |
| Croatia | Liechtenstein | Slovakia |
| Cyprus | Lithuania | Slovenia |
| Czech Republic | Luxembourg | Svalbard and Jan Mayen |
| Denmark | North Macedonia, Republic of | Sweden |
| Estonia | Malta | Switzerland |
| Faroe Islands | Moldova, Republic of | Turkey |
| Finland | Monaco | Ukraine |
| Gibraltar | Montenegro | Vatican City |
|
Other Europe Table 5 Includes the following countries: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Aland Islands | Guernsey | Poland |
| Albania | Hungary | Portugal |
| Andorra | Iceland | Romania |
| Austria | Isle of Man | Russian Federation |
| Belarus | Jersey | San Marino |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Kosovo | Serbia |
| Bulgaria | Latvia | Slovakia |
| Croatia | Liechtenstein | Slovenia |
| Cyprus | Lithuania | Svalbard and Jan Mayen |
| Czech Republic | North Macedonia, Republic of | Switzerland |
| Estonia | Malta | Turkey |
| Faroe Islands | Moldova, Republic of | Ukraine |
| Gibraltar | Monaco | Vatican City |
| Greece | Montenegro | |
|
Other Europe Table 7 Includes the following countries: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Aland Islands | Guernsey | Montenegro |
| Albania | Hungary | Portugal |
| Andorra | Iceland | Romania |
| Belarus | Isle of Man | Russian Federation |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Jersey | San Marino |
| Bulgaria | Kosovo | Serbia |
| Croatia | Latvia | Slovakia |
| Cyprus | Liechtenstein | Slovenia |
| Czech Republic | Lithuania | Svalbard and Jan Mayen |
| Estonia | Luxembourg | Turkey |
| Faroe Islands | North Macedonia, Republic of | Ukraine |
| Finland | Malta | Vatican City |
| Gibraltar | Moldova, Republic of | |
| Greece | Monaco | |
|
Australia, New Zealand and Other Oceania Tables 3, 5 and 7 Includes the following countries: | ||
|---|---|---|
| American Samoa | Heard Island and 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 and 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 |
|
Other Areas Tables 3 and 5 Includes the following group of countries: |
|---|
|
Central, South and Other Americas (See below for country breakdowns) |
|
Africa (See below for country breakdowns) |
|
Asia (See below for country breakdowns) |
|
Central, South and Other Americas Table 7 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 and 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 | |
|
Africa Table 7 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 | |
|
Asia Table 7 Includes the following countries: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Japan | Palestine, State of |
| Armenia | Jordan | Philippines |
| Azerbaijan | Kazakhstan | Qatar |
| Bahrain | Korea, Republic of | Saudi Arabia |
| Bangladesh | Korea, Democratic People's 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 | |