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E-mail: tourism@cso.ie Patsy King (+353) 21 453 5502 Margaret Power (+353) 21 453 5463
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information@cso.ie (+353) 21 453 5000 On-line ISSN 2009-5376
CSO statistical release, , 11am

Household Travel Survey

Quarter 1 2016

Domestic Trips '000 Outbound Trips '000
Quarter 1Quarter 1 Quarter 1Quarter 1
Reason for Journey20152016 20152016
Holiday767958 674727
Business125114 200239
Visiting Friends/Relatives613754 318378
Other226243 159179
Total1,7312,069 1,3501,523

Domestic trips increased by 19.5% in Quarter 1 2016

Number of Trips by Reason of Journey Quarter 1 2016
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Domestic Travel

  • Irish residents took almost 2.1 million domestic trips in Quarter 1 2016, an increase of 19.5% when compared to the same period twelve months earlier. Each trip had an average duration of 2.2 nights, resulting in over 4.5 million bed nights. See Table 1.

  • Holidays accounted for 46.3% of all domestic trips, while 36.4% were to visit friends or relatives. See Table 2.

  • Visitors who stayed in hotel accommodation accounted for 937,000 domestic trips in Quarter 1 2016, while those staying with family and friends accounted for 739,000 trips. See Table 4. 

  • Total expenditure on domestic trips in Quarter 1 2016 amounted to €326.9 million. €193.2 million of this was accounted for by those on holidays, while those visiting friends or relatives spent €64.1 million in the first quarter of 2016. See Table 2.

     

Outbound Travel

  • 1.5 million outbound trips were undertaken by Irish residents in Quarter 1 2016, an increase of 12.8% over the same period last year.  See Table 5.

  • A total of 10.8 million bed nights were availed of by Irish residents travelling abroad in the first quarter of 2016.  The average length of stay on outbound trips was 7.1 nights. The UK and Spain were the two most popular destinations in terms of trip numbers at 607,000 and 233,000 respectively. See Tables 6 and 6a.

  • Almost half (47.7%) of all outbound trips were classified as holidays, while almost a quarter (24.8 %) were for the purpose of visiting friends or relatives. See Table 7.

  • Visitors who stayed in hotel accommodation accounted for 3.8 million nights, while those staying with family and friends accounted for over 3.0 million nights.  See Table 9.
  • Irish residents spent €1,224.2 million on outbound trips in Quarter 1 2016, of which almost €631 million was spent on holidays, €289.5 million on business trips and €169 million on visiting friends and relatives.  See Table 7.

 

 Improved Weighting Mechanism

This release contains revised series from Q1 2012 onwards for domestic and outbound travel.  The revisions follow from the implementation of an improved weighting scheme which takes better account of the population distribution by sex, age group and region (NUTS 3).  The revisions increase the estimates of domestic trips by about 20%.  They have a minimal effect on the estimate of outbound trips, which are calibrated to international passenger data.

Further details are given in the Background Notes - see Methodogical Change.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 1 Domestic travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights, Expenditure & Average Length of Stay, Q1 2014 - Q1 2016
               '000
 2012201320142015 201420152016
      Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-Mar
                 
Total Domestic - Trips8,2918,4138,9919,125 1,7192,1653,0932,0131,7312,1813,1872,0262,069
               
Total Domestic - Nights23,70324,19526,08625,267 3,8025,62411,7864,8743,5455,30812,0544,3604,558
               
                € million
               
Total Domestic - Expenditure1,514.21,533.01,713.51,725.3 244.0402.5693.9373.0 269.1393.6701.9360.6 326.9
                 
                Nights
                 
Average Length of Stay2.92.92.92.8 2.22.63.82.4 2.02.43.82.2 2.2
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 1 2016 Table 1 (XLS 13KB)
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Table 1a Domestic travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights, Expenditure & Average Length of Stay by Region Visited, Q1 2014 - Q1 2016
               '000
 2012201320142015 201420152016
      Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-Mar
Total Domestic - Trips8,2918,4138,9919,125 1,7192,1653,0932,0131,7312,1813,1872,0262,069
Border, Midland and Western2,4402,6352,8982,874 5157151,0166525756411,058600671
Southern and Eastern5,8515,7796,0936,251 1,2041,4502,0771,3611,1561,5402,1291,4261,398
               
Total Domestic - Nights23,70324,19526,08625,267 3,8025,62411,7864,8743,5455,30812,0544,3604,558
Border, Midland and Western7,0788,0959,1408,571 1,1022,0534,1461,8381,2431,7174,2721,3401,563
Southern and Eastern16,62616,09916,94616,696 2,7003,5707,6403,0362,3023,5917,7823,0212,995
               
                € million
Total Domestic - Expenditure1,514.21,533.01,713.51,725.3 244.0402.5693.9373.0269.1393.6701.9360.6326.9
Border, Midland and Western461.9505.4569.1559.4 66.0140.0228.6134.488.4120.3250.0100.7107.2
Southern and Eastern1,052.31,027.61,144.41,165.9 178.0262.5465.2238.6 180.7273.3451.9259.9 219.7
               
                Nights
Average Length of Stay2.92.92.92.8 2.22.63.82.42.02.43.82.22.2
Border, Midland and Western2.93.13.23.0 2.12.94.12.82.22.74.02.22.3
Southern and Eastern2.82.82.82.7 2.22.53.72.2 2.02.33.72.1 2.1
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 1 2016 Table 1A (XLS 14KB)
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Table 2 Domestic travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights, Expenditure & Average Length of Stay by Reason for Journey, Q1 2014 - Q1 2016
               '000
 2012201320142015 201420152016
      Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-Mar
Total Domestic - Trips8,2918,4138,9919,125 1,7192,1653,0932,0131,7312,1813,1872,0262,069
Holiday4,0364,0734,4364,658 6651,0881,9117717671,0631,968860958
Business350364453407 1441018712112510854120114
Visiting Friends/Relatives2,7652,9882,9182,921 662666711879613708797804754
Other11,1409881,1841,138 248309384242226302368242243
               
Total Domestic - Nights23,70324,19526,08625,267 3,8025,62411,7864,8743,5455,30812,0544,3604,558
Holiday12,77113,98614,42414,751 1,4533,0218,3521,5981,6192,8308,4491,8532,151
Business693616904672 27924020817718921970194186
Visiting Friends/Relatives7,0337,0957,3356,877 1,4681,4532,2492,1661,2571,4662,3831,7711,726
Other13,2062,4983,4232,967 6039109789324817921,152543495
               
                € million
Total Domestic - Expenditure1,514.21,533.01,713.51,725.3 244.0402.5693.9373.0269.1393.6701.9360.6326.9
Holiday876.2947.2992.81,070.4 112.1233.5484.0163.1138.3233.9503.9194.3193.2
Business80.584.2110.398.0 28.625.428.727.627.330.511.428.825.1
Visiting Friends/Relatives289.6284.8327.0296.5 56.775.0105.190.258.364.698.575.164.1
Other1268.0216.8283.4260.4 46.668.676.192.2 45.264.688.262.4 44.6
                
                Nights
Average Length of Stay2.92.92.92.8 2.22.63.82.42.02.43.82.22.2
Holiday3.23.43.33.2 2.22.84.42.12.12.74.32.22.2
Business2.01.72.01.6 1.92.42.41.51.52.01.31.61.6
Visiting Friends/Relatives2.52.42.52.4 2.22.23.22.52.12.13.02.22.3
Other12.82.52.92.6 2.42.92.53.8 2.12.63.12.2 2.0
1 Other includes Education & Training, Sporting Events, Work/Looking for work, Health & Medical, Religious, Shopping and other reasons not elsewhere specified.
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 1 2016 Table 2 (XLS 15KB)
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Table 2a Domestic travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights, Expenditure &
Average Length of Stay by Reason for Journey, 2012 - 2015
    '000
 2012201320142015
Total Domestic - Trips8,2918,4138,9919,125
Holiday4,0364,0734,4364,658
Business350364453407
Visiting Friends/Relatives2,7652,9882,9182,921
Education & Training155142128167
Sporting Events295269396331
Work/Looking for work1308410180
Other1560493559559
     
Total Domestic - Nights23,70324,19526,08625,267
Holiday12,77113,98614,42414,751
Business693616904672
Visiting Friends/Relatives7,0337,0957,3356,877
Education & Training1,046721745952
Sporting Events567495755630
Work/Looking for work442266368259
Other11,1491,0161,5561,126
     
    € million
Total Domestic - Expenditure1,514.21,533.01,713.51,725.3
Holiday876.2947.2992.81,070.4
Business80.584.2110.398.0
Visiting Friends/Relatives289.6284.8327.0296.5
Education & Training53.446.440.660.7
Sporting Events53.349.967.358.7
Work/Looking for work37.916.921.017.9
Other1123.4103.6154.5123.1
     
    Nights
Average Length of Stay2.92.92.92.8
Holiday3.23.43.33.2
Business2.01.72.01.6
Visiting Friends/Relatives2.52.42.52.4
Education & Training6.85.15.85.7
Sporting Events1.91.81.91.9
Work/Looking for work3.43.23.63.2
Other12.12.12.82.0
1 Other includes Health & Medical, Religious, Shopping and other reasons not elsewhere specified.
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 1 2016 Table 2A (XLS 13KB)
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Table 3 Domestic travel by Irish Residents - Percentage Distribution of Trips taken classified by Method of Booking and Type of
 Booking, Quarter 1, 2015 - 2016
 Type of booking
Method of booking         Package1 %         Transport2 %         Accommodation3 %
 Q1 2015Q1 2016Q1 2015Q1 2016Q1 2015Q1 2016
       
Internet      
    Direct30.746.06.56.933.635.2
    Via travel agent/tour operator2.213.50.20.22.13.1
       
Non internet      
    Direct59.830.23.12.714.711.8
    Via travel agent/tour operator1.10.00.30.10.30.3
       
No booking required0.00.089.189.346.248.3
       
Don't know6.210.30.80.83.11.3
       
Total100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0
1A package tour/holiday is where two or more services are combined and sold as a single product at a single price e.g transport and accommodation.
2Transport booked separately, not part of a package.
3Accommodation booked separately, not part of a package.
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 1 2016 Table 3 (XLS 12KB)
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Table 4 Domestic travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights & Average Length of Stay by Type of Accommodation, Q1 2014 - Q1 2016
                '000
 2012201320142015 201420152016
      Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-Mar
Total Domestic - Trips8,2918,4138,9919,125 1,7192,1653,0932,0131,7312,1813,1872,0262,069
Hotel 3,3133,3823,6303,704 8178751,0628758118321,156904937
Self Catering/Rented House644724830827 6517848310310921940396138
Friends/Relatives2,8962,9562,9963,011 607704822863601708942760739
Other11,4381,3511,5351,583 230408726172210422685266255
               
Total Domestic - Nights23,70324,19526,08625,267 3,8025,62411,7864,8743,5455,30812,0544,3604,558
Hotel6,9776,7817,2077,133 1,3951,8132,5051,4941,3991,5512,6011,5821,664
Self Catering/Rented House3,2373,7144,2403,896 2117042,9633623368492,422289380
Friends/Relatives7,9357,6958,1577,917 1,3301,7702,8292,2271,2571,5753,2891,7951,718
Other15,5546,0056,4826,321 8661,3363,4907915531,3333,741694796
               
                Nights
Average Length of Stay2.92.92.92.8 2.22.63.82.42.02.43.82.22.2
Hotel 2.12.02.01.9 1.72.12.41.71.71.92.21.81.8
Self Catering/Rented House5.05.15.14.7 3.24.06.13.53.13.96.03.02.8
Friends/Relatives2.72.62.72.6 2.22.53.42.62.12.23.52.42.3
Other13.94.44.24.0 3.83.34.84.6 2.63.25.52.6 3.1
1Other includes stays in Caravan/Camping, Guesthouse/B&B, Own Holiday Home, Health Farm/Spa, Ship/Cruise and other types of accommodation not elsewhere specified.
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 1 2016 Table 4 (XLS 14KB)
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Table 4a Domestic travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights
& Average Length of Stay by Type of Accommodation, 2012 - 2015
    '000
 2012201320142015
Total Domestic - Trips8,2918,4138,9919,125
Guesthouse/B&B367330425475
Own Holiday Home477407444544
Hotel3,3133,3823,6303,704
Self Catering/Rented House644724830827
Friends/Relatives2,8962,9562,9963,011
Other1594615666564
     
Total Domestic - Nights23,70324,19526,08625,267
Guesthouse/B&B9348451,1001,007
Own Holiday Home1,7872,2462,0182,942
Hotel6,9776,7817,2077,133
Self Catering/Rented House3,2373,7144,2403,896
Friends/Relatives7,9357,6958,1577,917
Other12,8332,9133,3642,372
     
    Nights
Average Length of Stay2.92.92.92.8
Guesthouse/B&B2.52.62.62.1
Own Holiday Home3.85.54.55.4
Hotel2.12.02.01.9
Self Catering/Rented House5.05.15.14.7
Friends/Relatives2.72.62.72.6
Other14.84.75.14.2
1Other includes stays in Health Farm/Spa, Ship/Cruise, Caravan/Camping and other types of accommodation not elsewhere specified.
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 1 2016 Table 4A (XLS 13KB)
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Table 5 Outbound travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights, Expenditure & Average Length of Stay, Q1 2014 - Q1 2016
               '000
 2012201320142015 201420152016
      Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-Mar
                 
Total Outbound - Trips6,6236,5756,6777,094 1,1631,8392,1531,522 1,3501,9262,2181,600 1,523
               
Total Outbound - Nights53,11251,98553,65253,515 8,19913,46621,79110,196 9,44013,26221,1359,678 10,842
               
                € million
               
Total Outbound - Expenditure5,342.55,384.25,590.26,022.1 937.71,468.51,980.41,203.5 1,040.71,510.12,146.71,324.6 1,224.2
                 
                Nights
 
Average Length of Stay8.07.98.07.5 7.17.310.16.7 7.06.99.56.0 7.1
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 1 2016 Table 5 (XLS 13KB)
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Table 6 Outbound travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights and Expenditure by Country/Region Visited, Q1 2014 - Q1 2016
                '000
 2012201320142015 2014 20152016
      Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-Mar
Total Outbound - Trips6,6236,5756,6777,094 1,1631,8392,1531,522 1,3501,9262,2181,6001,523
France630538586632 10218622573 9720025976132
Germany163164220203 39465580 2944567348
Italy348284274418 2910011828 641301527277
Portugal3513223703131110917673101101435034
Spain1,3391,3671,2901,552 164378507242 195505587264233
United Kingdom (GB & NI)2,2372,4072,3552,269 504603591657 575516556623607
   Of which : Great Britain1,7842,0111,9651,933 451504487523 493457470513515
                     Northern Ireland453396390336 5399104134 82598511193
Other Europe1772724781955 117240269155 188249276242222
North America388404453422 10489140120 999511811089
Asia & Middle East177133173165 57383443 5731314733
All other areas216232174164 35513750 3745394348
                
Total Outbound - Nights53,11251,98553,65253,515 8,19913,46621,79110,196 9,44013,26221,1359,67810,842
France5,8255,1765,1295,565 7181,5442,402464 5691,6053,015376795
Germany9257311,2981,214 168140569421 164306346398250
Italy2,8462,1792,3153,097 1847731,187171 3487571,491501572
Portugal3,3752,8713,3372,746 1319061,869431 1057791,575286257
Spain12,49712,69012,87214,034 1,6003,5885,3842,300 1,8244,0856,0132,1122,356
United Kingdom (GB & NI)9,2399,5319,7638,826 1,9052,5012,9142,442 1,9881,9882,8771,9732,669
   Of which : Great Britain7,9918,5288,6757,975 1,7372,2362,5882,114 1,8151,8462,5511,7632,424
                     Northern Ireland1,2481,0031,088850 169265326329 172142326210245
Other Europe15,6285,5666,9836,3467651,7193,2951,2041,1861,3052,4781,3771,396
North America5,8385,6916,2955,877 1,1231,0312,7541,386 1,2581,2152,1671,2371,012
Asia & Middle East2,9772,4672,4922,811 1,006484547455 1,175445484707513
All other areas3,9625,0833,1683,000 599779869922 8237786887101,022
               
                € million
Total Outbound - Expenditure5,342.55,384.25,590.26,022.1937.71,468.51,980.41,203.51,040.71,510.12,146.71,324.61,224.2
France495.6433.2473.3486.081.0124.5209.358.573.4147.3218.347.087.5
Germany111.599.3138.5126.526.336.233.142.916.621.944.943.137.2
Italy311.8256.1254.7374.719.793.8118.323.044.596.0161.672.663.6
Portugal299.5246.5302.7269.38.082.4165.946.410.977.4149.131.921.5
Spain1,093.01,101.41,141.31,317.7130.3316.0492.1202.9149.9349.2591.2227.4201.2
United Kingdom (GB & NI)871.8924.0973.11,030.3188.6268.9268.5247.0249.6220.8266.6293.3240.9
   Of which : Great Britain789.0864.9897.2946.5174.2249.3245.3228.3229.8204.7240.9271.1226.8
                     Northern Ireland82.759.175.983.814.419.623.218.719.816.125.722.214.1
Other Europe1545.4568.6704.2739.497.4196.6250.7159.5122.2208.2260.1148.9179.5
North America787.0819.0890.2925.7203.8169.9284.9231.7191.9218.4292.8222.5184.8
Asia & Middle East346.2371.6347.0368.5113.972.365.695.3106.171.561.4129.497.8
All other areas480.6564.4365.2383.9 68.9107.892.096.4 75.499.3100.5108.6 110.3
1All other EU member states and all other European countries.
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 1 2016 Table 6 (XLS 18KB)
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Table 6a Outbound travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights & Average Length of Stay by Region Visited, Q1 2014 - Q1 2016
                '000
 2012201320142015 2014 20152016
      Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-Mar
Total Outbound - Trips6,6236,5756,6777,094 1,1631,8392,1531,522 1,3501,9262,2181,600 1,523
EU15,6475,6145,7356,161 9501,6181,8931,274 1,1201,7061,9931,342 1,326
Other Europe2194191142181 16434934 39483657 27
North America388404453422 10489140120 9995118110 89
Other 394365347329 93897194 93767090 81
                 
Total Outbound - Nights53,11251,98553,65253,515 8,19913,46621,79110,196 9,44013,26221,1359,678 10,842
EU138,98837,10340,23740,564 5,35810,85016,8317,197 5,93810,54217,5256,560 8,077
Other Europe21,3481,6411,4601,263 113321791236 247282270464 218
North America5,8385,6916,2955,877 1,1231,0312,7541,386 1,2581,2152,1671,237 1,012
Other 6,9397,5505,6605,811 1,6041,2631,4151,377 1,9981,2241,1721,417 1,536
                 
                Nights
Average Length of Stay8.07.98.07.5 7.17.310.16.7 7.06.99.56.0 7.1
EU16.96.67.06.6 5.66.78.95.6 5.36.28.84.9 6.1
Other Europe27.08.610.37.0 6.97.416.17.0 6.45.87.48.1 8.1
North America15.014.113.913.9 10.811.619.711.5 12.712.718.411.2 11.3
Other 17.620.716.317.7 17.314.219.914.7 21.416.216.715.8 18.9
1From 1st July 2013, EU includes Croatia.
2Other Europe includes Croatia until the 30th June 2013.
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 1 2016 Table 6A (XLS 15KB)
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Table 6b Outbound travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights,
Expenditure & Average Length of Stay by Region Visited, 2012 - 2015
    '000
 2012201320142015
Total Outbound - Trips6,6236,5756,6777,094
EU15,6475,6145,7356,161
Other Europe2194191142181
North America388404453422
Central, South & Other Americas74393240
Asia & Middle East177133173165
Africa66788780
Australia, New Zealand & Oceania761155644
     
Total Outbound - Nights53,11251,98553,65253,515
EU138,98837,10340,23740,564
Other Europe21,3481,6411,4601,263
North America5,8385,6916,2955,877
Central, South & Other Americas1,050492526629
Asia & Middle East2,9772,4672,4922,811
Africa1,0299501,3861,244
Australia, New Zealand & Oceania1,8833,6421,2561,127
     
    € million
Total Outbound - Expenditure5,342.55,384.25,590.26,022.1
EU13,590.53,456.23,831.34,185.9
Other Europe2138.1173.1156.4158.1
North America787.0819.0890.2925.7
Central, South & Other Americas142.177.088.696.1
Asia & Middle East346.2371.6347.0368.5
Africa120.0111.4142.3168.4
Australia, New Zealand & Oceania218.5376.0134.2119.4
     
    Nights
Average Length of Stay8.07.98.07.5
EU16.96.67.06.6
Other Europe27.08.610.37.0
North America15.014.113.913.9
Central, South & Other Americas14.112.616.515.8
Asia & Middle East16.818.614.417.0
Africa15.512.116.015.5
Australia, New Zealand & Oceania24.831.722.625.7
1From 1st July 2013, EU includes Croatia.
2Other Europe includes Croatia until the 30th June 2013.
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 1 2016 Table 6B (XLS 14KB)
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Table 7 Outbound travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights, Expenditure & Average Length of Stay by Reason for Journey, Q1 2014 - Q1 2016
                '000
 2012201320142015 2014 20152016
      Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-Mar
Total Outbound - Trips6,6236,5756,6777,094 1,1631,8392,1531,522 1,3501,9262,2181,600 1,523
Holiday3,8173,6593,6754,219 5161,0101,433716 6741,1911,579776 727
Business584652729767 160227153189 200210144213 239
Visiting Friends/Relatives1,4721,6241,6201,430 328406433454 318357336419 378
Other1750639652678 158197134163 159168159192 179
                 
Total Outbound - Nights53,11251,98553,65253,515 8,19913,46621,79110,196 9,44013,26221,1359,678 10,842
Holiday34,46231,72633,09535,276 4,1888,54514,7675,596 4,8399,14316,0215,273 5,810
Business2,1992,3942,9802,905 695928617739 753801563788 1,251
Visiting Friends/Relatives10,50212,14112,76310,298 2,4842,7794,8882,612 2,7462,2272,8742,452 2,569
Other15,9505,7254,8145,037 8321,2141,5181,249 1,1031,0921,6781,164 1,212
                 
                € million
Total Outbound - Expenditure5,342.55,384.25,590.26,022.1 937.71,468.51,980.41,203.5 1,040.71,510.12,146.71,324.6 1,224.2
Holiday3,371.63,192.83,391.13,836.3 462.5849.11,424.7654.8 543.0981.01,597.6714.6 630.8
Business631.4812.4812.6880.6 206.4242.5146.8217.0 222.9222.7169.4265.6 289.5
Visiting Friends/Relatives800.9888.0912.1759.7 176.5239.1283.2213.3 168.1170.5225.5195.6 169.0
Other1538.6491.0474.3545.5 92.3137.9125.7118.5 106.7135.8154.2148.9 134.9
                 
                Nights
Average Length of Stay8.07.98.07.5 7.17.310.16.7 7.06.99.56.0 7.1
Holiday9.08.79.08.4 8.18.510.37.8 7.27.710.16.8 8.0
Business3.83.74.13.8 4.34.14.03.9 3.83.83.93.7 5.2
Visiting Friends/Relatives7.17.57.97.2 7.66.911.35.8 8.66.28.65.8 6.8
Other17.99.07.47.4 5.36.211.37.7 7.06.510.66.1 6.8
1Other includes Education & Training, Sporting Events, Work/Looking for work, Health & Medical, Religious, Shopping and other reasons not elsewhere specified.
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 1 2016 Table 7 (XLS 16KB)
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Table 7a Outbound travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights, Expenditure
 & Average Length of Stay by Reason for Journey, 2012 - 2015
    '000
 2012201320142015
Total Outbound - Trips6,6236,5756,6777,094
Holiday3,8173,6593,6754,219
Business584652729767
Visiting Friends/Relatives1,4721,6241,6201,430
Education & Training102858588
Sporting Events300222255291
Work/Looking for work120135115104
Other1227197198194
     
Total Outbound - Nights53,11251,98553,65253,515
Holiday34,46231,72633,09535,276
Business2,1992,3942,9802,905
Visiting Friends/Relatives10,50212,14112,76310,298
Education & Training1,1361,0011,024931
Sporting Events1,081932772920
Work/Looking for work2,0782,4361,7221,651
Other11,6551,3561,2961,535
     
    € million
Total Outbound - Expenditure5,342.55,384.25,590.26,022.1
Holiday3,371.63,192.83,391.13,836.3
Business631.4812.4812.6880.6
Visiting Friends/Relatives800.9888.0912.1759.7
Education & Training78.790.172.371.0
Sporting Events151.3126.3124.0168.1
Work/Looking for work131.1122.1114.1154.6
Other1177.4152.5163.9151.9
     
    Nights
Average Length of Stay8.07.98.07.5
Holiday9.08.79.08.4
Business3.83.74.13.8
Visiting Friends/Relatives7.17.57.97.2
Education & Training11.211.812.010.5
Sporting Events3.64.23.03.2
Work/Looking for work17.218.015.015.8
Other17.36.96.57.9
1Other includes Health & Medical, Religious, Shopping and other reasons not elsewhere specified.
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 1 2016 Table 7A (XLS 13KB)
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Table 8 Outbound travel by Irish Residents - Percentage Distribution of Trips taken classified by
Method of Booking and Type of Booking, Quarter 1, 2015 - 2016
 Type of booking
          Package1 %         Transport2 %         Accommodation3 %
 Q1 2015Q1 2016Q1 2015Q1 2016Q1 2015Q1 2016
Method of booking      
       
Internet      
    Direct19.626.378.581.747.347.9
    Via travel agent/tour operator47.755.24.96.27.57.6
       
Non internet      
    Direct0.92.71.91.73.95.1
    Via travel agent/tour operator25.014.62.70.92.10.6
       
No booking required1.60.08.17.136.536.5
       
Don't know5.21.13.92.42.72.2
       
Total 100100100100100100
1A package tour/holiday is where two or more services are combined and sold as a single product at a single
price e.g transport and accommodation.
2Transport booked separately, not part of a package.
3Accommodation booked separately, not part of a package.
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 1 2016 Table 8 (XLS 12KB)
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Table 9 Outbound travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights & Average Length of Stay by Type of Accommodation, Q1 2014 - Q1 2016
                '000
 2012201320142015 2014 20152016
      Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-MarApr-JunJul-SepOct-Dec Jan-Mar
Total Outbound - Trips6,6236,5756,6777,094 1,1631,8392,1531,522 1,3501,9262,2181,600 1,523
Hotel 2,6902,8733,0953,367 608791878817 710960875821 718
Self Catering/Rented House1,3641,1821,0511,211 121293458180 170305561176 260
Friends/Relatives1,6611,7171,6501,680 331445486388 389374426492 428
Other1907803882836 103311332136 82287356112 117
                 
Total Outbound - Nights53,11251,98553,65253,515 8,19913,46621,79110,196 9,44013,26221,1359,678 10,842
Hotel 14,49215,41618,07818,192 3,3454,1536,0054,574 3,1695,2236,1743,625 3,833
Self Catering/Rented House14,08113,70511,72012,151 1,1232,9006,1231,574 2,0612,3966,1561,537 2,501
Friends/Relatives14,34413,87514,16014,341 2,7533,3245,6112,472 3,1543,0834,6093,496 3,053
Other110,1958,9899,6958,832 9783,0894,0521,576 1,0572,5604,1961,020 1,456
                 
                Nights
Average Length of Stay8.07.98.07.5 7.17.310.16.7 7.06.99.56.0 7.1
Hotel 5.45.45.85.4 5.55.36.85.6 4.55.47.14.4 5.3
Self Catering/Rented House10.311.611.110.0 9.39.913.48.7 12.17.911.08.8 9.6
Friends/Relatives8.68.18.68.5 8.37.511.56.4 8.18.210.87.1 7.1
Other111.211.211.010.6 9.59.912.211.6 12.98.911.89.1 12.5
1Other includes stays in Caravan/Camping, Guesthouse/B&B, Own Holiday Home, Health Farm/Spa, Ship/Cruise and other types of accommodation not elsewhere specified.
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 1 2016 Table 9 (XLS 15KB)
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Table 9a Outbound travel by Irish Residents - Number of Trips, Number of Nights & Average Length
of Stay by Type of Accommodation, 2012 - 2015
    '000
 2012201320142015
Total Outbound - Trips6,6236,5756,6777,094
Guesthouse/B&B234171213144
Own Holiday Home148181123109
Hotel2,6902,8733,0953,367
Self Catering/Rented House1,3641,1821,0511,211
Friends/Relatives1,6611,7171,6501,680
Other1525451545583
     
Total Outbound - Nights53,11251,98553,65253,515
Guesthouse/B&B1,9311,0221,376955
Own Holiday Home2,5712,7221,6981,390
Hotel14,49215,41618,07818,192
Self Catering/Rented House14,08113,70511,72012,151
Friends/Relatives14,34413,87514,16014,341
Other15,6925,2456,6216,486
     
    Nights
Average Length of Stay8.07.98.07.5
Guesthouse/B&B8.26.06.46.6
Own Holiday Home17.315.013.812.7
Hotel5.45.45.85.4
Self Catering/Rented House10.311.611.110.0
Friends/Relatives8.68.18.68.5
Other110.811.612.111.1
1Other includes stays in Health Farm/Spa, Ship/Cruise, Caravan/Camping and other types of accommodation not elsewhere specified.
Open in Excel: Household Travel Survey Quarter 1 2016 Table 9A (XLS 13KB)
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Background Notes

Periodicity

Annual/Quarterly.

Scope

Domestic and Outbound travel patterns which involve overnight stays of all residents of the Republic of Ireland.

Coverage

All private households.

Purpose

The purpose of the Household Travel Survey (HTS) is to measure domestic and outbound travel patterns involving overnight stays and 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.

Data Collection

Information is collected via postal survey of private households on a monthly basis by the Central Statistics Office.

Sample Design

The HTS is a random stratified sample. Each month, over 4,600 households (or approximately 0.3% of all private households) are randomly selected from the 2011 Electoral Register, where the selection is stratified by District Electoral Division.

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 Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS). These weightings are then applied to survey results.

 A two stage weighting process is used for outbound travel from Quarter 1 2012 onwards.  Firstly, data for persons covered in the survey are weighted to agree with population estimates broken down by sex, age group and region (NUTS 3).  These population estimates are provided by the Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS). These weightings are then applied to survey results. The results for outbound travel are subsequently further weighted to agree with the Tourism & Travel results.

The sample size for some subcategories/breakdowns can be small and therefore caution should be taken when analysing this data.

 

Methodological Change

This release published in August 2016 implements an improved weighting scheme, which has been applied retrospectively back to Quarter 1 2012.

      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 Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS). 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 Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS). 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

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.

 

Table : Household Travel Survey - summary effect of revisions of data due to changed methodology

  2012  2013  2014  2015
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.

 

It should be noted that there are some differences between the Household Travel Survey and Tourism and Travel Survey:

  • The HTS includes travel to Northern Ireland while the Tourism and Travel Survey (TTS) only includes overseas travel (it excludes travel to Northern Ireland).
  • The HTS only includes travel where there is at least one overnight stay while the Tourism and Travel Survey (TTS) covers both same-day trips and overnight trips.

 

Definitions

Tourism

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.

Usual Environment

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).

Trip

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.

Domestic Tourism

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:

  • Residents travelling within the country with the intention of changing their usual residence.
  • Persons who travel to work temporarily in institutions within the country.
  • Persons who travel regularly or frequently between neighbouring localities to work or study.
  • Nomads and persons without fixed residence.
  • Armed forces on manoeuvre.

Outbound Tourism

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.  From 2012 onwards expenditure on outbound travel includes expenditure on car imports of approximately €150m per annum.

The following categories are excluded from outbound travel:

  • Persons leaving the country as migrants, including dependants accompanying or joining them.
  • Persons, known as border workers, residing near the border in the Republic of Ireland but working in the North of Ireland.
  • Diplomats, consular officers and members of the armed forces when travelling outside of the Republic of Ireland on assignment.  This includes dependants and household employees accompanying or joining them.
  • Persons travelling as refugees or nomads.

Overnight Visitor

An overnight visitor is a visitor who stays at least one night in collective or private accommodation in the place, county or country visited.

Tourism Expenditure (to the end of 2011)

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 (eg. 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:

  • Purchases for commercial purposes, for resale, purchases made on behalf of an employer during a business trip.
  • Capital type investments or transactions engaged in by visitors, such as land, housing or real estate, works of art and other important acquisitions (such as cars, caravans, boats, second houses), even though they may be used in the future for tourism travel purposes.
  • Cash given to relatives or friends during the trip, which does not represent payment of tourism goods or services, as well as donations made to institutions.

Tourism Expenditure (from 2012 onwards)

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 (eg. 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:

  • Purchases for commercial purposes, for resale, purchases made on behalf of an employer during a business trip.
  • Investments or transactions engaged in by visitors, such as land, housing or real estate.
  • Cash given to relatives or friends during the trip, which does not represent payment of tourism goods or services, as well as donations made to institutions.

Rounding

Individual figures have been rounded independently and the sum of the component items therefore may not necessarily add to the totals shown.

NUTS Regions

The regional classifications in this release are based on the NUTS (Nomenclature of Territorial Units) classification used by Eurostat.  The NUTS 3 regions correspond 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, are 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

 

   

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 United Kingdom
 
 
Other Europe includes the following countries:
Aland Islands Iceland Norway
Albania Isle of Man Russian Federation
Andorra Jersey San Marino
Belarus Liechtenstein Serbia
Bosnia and Herzegovina                             Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of           Switzerland
Faroe Islands Moldova, Republic of Turkey
Gibraltar Monaco                                     Ukraine
Guernsey Montenegro Vatican City 

 

 

 

North America includes the following countries:
Canada
United States      
 
 
Central, South and Other Americas includes the following countries:
Anguilla Dominican Republic Nicaragua
Antigua and Barbuda Ecuador Panama
Argentina El Salvador Paraguay
Aruba Falkland Islands (Malvinas)                Peru
Bahamas French Guiana Puerto Rico
Barbados Greenland Saint Kitts and Nevis
Belize Grenada Saint Lucia
Bermuda Guadeloupe Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Bolivia Guatemala Saint Vincent & the Grenadines           
Brazil Guyana Suriname
Cayman Islands Haiti Trinidad and Tobago
Chile Honduras Turks and Caicos Islands
Colombia Jamaica Uruguay
Costa Rica Martinique Venezuela
Cuba Mexico Virgin Islands, British
Dominica                                       Montserrat                                   Virgin Islands, US                          

 

 

Asia and Middle East includes the following countries:
Afghanistan Japan Palestinian Territory, Occupied          
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
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 Kiribati Samoa
Antarctica Marshall Islands Solomon Islands
Australia Micronesia, Federated States of            South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands        
Bouvet Island Nauru Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Christmas Island New Caledonia Tokelau
Cocos (Keeling) Islands New Zealand Tonga
Cook Islands Niue Tuvalu
Fiji Norfolk Island United States Minor Outlying Islands
French Polynesia Northern Mariana Islands Vanuatu
French Southern Territories Palau Wallis and Futuna
Guam Papua New Guinea  
Heard Island & McDonald Islands            Pitcairn  

 

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Contact:

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Tel:
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