| Persons intending to take a trip by Destination and Reference period, April 2021 | |||
| Trip Intentions % | |||
| Domestic | Overseas | Northern Ireland | |
| Reference period | |||
| In 2021 | 80.1 | 47.3 | 18.5 |
| In 2022 or later | 4.5 | 34.5 | 8.7 |
| Not thinking of one | 15.3 | 18.2 | 72.7 |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 100 |
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The CSO Intention to Travel Survey which was undertaken during the last week of April and first week of May 2021 revealed that seven in ten people (73.6%) intend to take an overnight domestic trip within the next six months. For overseas trips the corresponding figure is 32.4%, and for trips being planned to Northern Ireland it was 15.4% of Irish residents aged 18 and over. See table 2.
The survey found that almost two-thirds (64.6%) of Irish residents aged 18 and over had cancelled an overnight trip due to COVID-19 since March 2020. More than half of Irish residents (54.5%) cancelled overnight overseas trips due to COVID-19, while 39.6% cancelled overnight domestic trips. See table 1 and Infographic.
While 47.3% of people intend to travel abroad in 2021, 34.5% intend to take their next trip outside the island of Ireland in 2022 or later, and the remainder (18.2%) are not thinking about trips abroad at present. See table 3.
The survey results also show that for those Irish residents aged 18 and over who are planning a trip in the next twelve months:
The South-West region (28.7%) is the most popular destination for those intending to take an overnight domestic trip. This is followed by the West and South-East regions at 20.6% and 13.3% respectively. See table 4a.
Just under three-quarters of people (74.2%) intending to take their next overnight domestic trip in the next twelve months want to do so for holidays, leisure and recreation purposes, while 22.4% plan to visit friends and relatives. Those who are intending to make an overnight domestic business trip account for just 1.1% of people.
One-fifth (20.7%) of those intending to take an overnight domestic trip plan to use self-catering accommodation, while 56.7% will use hotel, guesthouse or B&B accommodation.
One-third of people (33.5%) who are intending to take a trip overseas in the next twelve months stated the reason for the trip would be to visit friends and relatives, while 24.6% of those planning a trip to Northern Ireland intend to travel for the same purpose. See tables 4b and 4c.
| Not thinking of one | More than a year | Between 9 and 12 months | Between 6 and 9 months | Between 3 and 6 months | In the next 3 months | |
| Male | 16.9 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 5.6 | 22.1 | 51.4 |
| Female | 13.8 | 3.1 | 2 | 7.4 | 20.3 | 53.4 |
| Age 65 and over | Age 35-64 | Age 18-34 | |
| Domestic | 17.9 | 53.9 | 28.2 |
| Overseas | 17.2 | 51.7 | 31.1 |
| Northern Ireland | 14.1 | 50.7 | 35.2 |
| Domestic | Overseas | Northern Ireland | |
| Holidays, leisure and recreation | 74.2 | 58.2 | 67.2 |
| Visiting friends and relatives | 22.4 | 33.5 | 24.6 |
| Other personal | 2.3 | 3.8 | 5.5 |
| Professional/business | 1.1 | 4.6 | 2.6 |
| Table 1 Persons who cancelled a trip since March 2020 due to COVID-19 by Sex, Age group and Region of residence, April 2021 | |||||
| Cancelled trips % | |||||
| Domestic | Overseas | Northern Ireland | |||
| State | 39.6 | 54.5 | 6.7 | ||
| Sex | |||||
| Male | 37.3 | 54.9 | 6.2 | ||
| Female | 41.9 | 54.1 | 7.1 | ||
| Age group | |||||
| 18-34 | 38.8 | 55.9 | 7.3 | ||
| 35-64 | 43.1 | 57.8 | 7.0 | ||
| 65 and over | 31.5 | 43.6 | 4.9 | ||
| Region of residence | |||||
| Border | 40.7 | 49.9 | 14.1 | ||
| Dublin | 40.9 | 61.0 | 5.6 | ||
| Mid-East | 40.4 | 58.6 | 8.0 | ||
| Mid-West | 35.0 | 47.3 | 6.5 | ||
| Midlands | 39.9 | 46.1 | 7.0 | ||
| South-East | 35.8 | 53.1 | 7.1 | ||
| South-West | 43.2 | 51.3 | 3.6 | ||
| West | 36.8 | 51.5 | 5.8 | ||
| Table 2 Persons intending to take a trip by Destination and Reference period, April 2021 | ||||||
| Trip Intentions % | ||||||
| Domestic | Overseas | Northern Ireland | ||||
| Reference period | ||||||
| In the next 6 months | 73.6 | 32.4 | 15.4 | |||
| Between 6 and 12 months | 8.4 | 29.0 | 5.6 | |||
| More than a year | 2.6 | 20.4 | 6.2 | |||
| Not thinking of one | 15.3 | 18.2 | 72.7 | |||
| Total | 100 | 100 | 100 | |||
| Table 3 Persons intending to take a trip by Destination and Reference Period by Sex, Age group and Region of residence, April 2021 | |||||||
| Trip Intentions % | |||||||
| Domestic | Overseas | Northern Ireland | |||||
| Reference period | |||||||
| In the next 3 months | 52.4 | 10.0 | 8.2 | ||||
| Sex | |||||||
| Male | 51.4 | 11.5 | 8.6 | ||||
| Female | 53.4 | 8.6 | 7.8 | ||||
| Age group | |||||||
| 18-34 | 56.5 | 12.5 | 11.4 | ||||
| 35-64 | 54.0 | 9.4 | 7.3 | ||||
| 65 and over | 42.4 | 8.3 | 6.1 | ||||
| Region of residence | |||||||
| Border | 46.1 | 6.3 | 19.5 | ||||
| Dublin | 56.9 | 12.8 | 7.6 | ||||
| Mid-East | 55.3 | 11.3 | 11.3 | ||||
| Mid-West | 50.2 | 10.1 | 7.0 | ||||
| Midlands | 46.1 | 4.7 | 4.3 | ||||
| South-East | 51.7 | 8.5 | 5.6 | ||||
| South-West | 51.8 | 9.2 | 5.3 | ||||
| West | 47.6 | 8.6 | 6.2 | ||||
| Between 3 and 6 months | 21.2 | 22.4 | 7.2 | ||||
| Sex | |||||||
| Male | 22.1 | 27.3 | 7.2 | ||||
| Female | 20.3 | 17.6 | 7.3 | ||||
| Age group | |||||||
| 18-34 | 20.4 | 26.3 | 8.6 | ||||
| 35-64 | 21.1 | 22.0 | 7.0 | ||||
| 65 and over | 22.7 | 17.9 | 6.0 | ||||
| Region of residence | |||||||
| Border | 29.1 | 17.7 | 10.9 | ||||
| Dublin | 18.8 | 25.5 | 8.0 | ||||
| Mid-East | 21.5 | 24.6 | 9.4 | ||||
| Mid-West | 23.0 | 18.6 | 6.6 | ||||
| Midlands | 20.4 | 21.1 | 9.6 | ||||
| South-East | 16.9 | 20.8 | 3.4 | ||||
| South-West | 20.4 | 21.7 | 4.0 | ||||
| West | 25.3 | 20.7 | 6.2 | ||||
| Between 6 and 9 months | 6.5 | 14.9 | 3.1 | ||||
| Sex | |||||||
| Male | 5.6 | 13.3 | 3.3 | ||||
| Female | 7.4 | 16.4 | 2.9 | ||||
| Age group | |||||||
| 18-34 | 6.1 | 15.2 | 4.3 | ||||
| 35-64 | 5.8 | 14.2 | 2.9 | ||||
| 65 and over | 8.9 | 16.4 | 1.9 | ||||
| Region of residence | |||||||
| Border | 7.5 | 13.9 | 5.2 | ||||
| Dublin | 5.6 | 17.8 | 2.8 | ||||
| Mid-East | 3.9 | 14.4 | 3.2 | ||||
| Mid-West | 6.7 | 16.0 | 2.3 | ||||
| Midlands | 12.1 | 10.8 | 3.9 | ||||
| South-East | 7.9 | 14.6 | 4.6 | ||||
| South-West | 7.8 | 13.3 | 0.9 | ||||
| West | 5.4 | 11.6 | 4.1 | ||||
| Between 9 and 12 months | 1.9 | 14.1 | 2.5 | ||||
| Sex | |||||||
| Male | 1.9 | 14.1 | 1.6 | ||||
| Female | 2.0 | 14.1 | 3.4 | ||||
| Age group | |||||||
| 18-34 | 1.7 | 15.9 | 2.9 | ||||
| 35-64 | 2.1 | 14.0 | 2.7 | ||||
| 65 and over | 1.8 | 11.9 | 1.4 | ||||
| Region of residence | |||||||
| Border | 2.0 | 11.6 | 0.8 | ||||
| Dublin | 1.9 | 14.7 | 2.9 | ||||
| Mid-East | 1.4 | 12.7 | 1.7 | ||||
| Mid-West | 1.7 | 15.1 | 0.8 | ||||
| Midlands | 7.0 | 12.8 | 4.1 | ||||
| South-East | 1.0 | 15.2 | 4.1 | ||||
| South-West | 1.2 | 16.0 | 2.3 | ||||
| West | 1.8 | 12.5 | 3.4 | ||||
| More than a year | 2.6 | 20.4 | 6.2 | ||||
| Sex | |||||||
| Male | 2.1 | 17.1 | 6.7 | ||||
| Female | 3.1 | 23.5 | 5.8 | ||||
| Age group | |||||||
| 18-34 | 1.6 | 16.7 | 6.8 | ||||
| 35-64 | 3.1 | 24.0 | 6.4 | ||||
| 65 and over | 2.4 | 15.5 | 4.9 | ||||
| Region of residence | |||||||
| Border | 1.7 | 23.0 | 3.7 | ||||
| Dublin | 1.5 | 16.8 | 6.2 | ||||
| Mid-East | 1.8 | 20.9 | 6.1 | ||||
| Mid-West | 3.7 | 19.9 | 8.1 | ||||
| Midlands | 4.6 | 34.0 | 4.5 | ||||
| South-East | 3.8 | 20.4 | 9.9 | ||||
| South-West | 3.4 | 20.2 | 6.1 | ||||
| West | 3.1 | 20.4 | 4.5 | ||||
| Not thinking of one | 15.3 | 18.2 | 72.7 | ||||
| Sex | |||||||
| Male | 16.9 | 16.7 | 72.6 | ||||
| Female | 13.8 | 19.6 | 72.8 | ||||
| Age group | |||||||
| 18-34 | 13.8 | 13.4 | 66.1 | ||||
| 35-64 | 13.9 | 16.5 | 73.6 | ||||
| 65 and over | 21.4 | 29.8 | 79.6 | ||||
| Region of residence | |||||||
| Border | 13.5 | 27.5 | 59.9 | ||||
| Dublin | 15.3 | 12.4 | 72.3 | ||||
| Mid-East | 16.1 | 16.1 | 68.3 | ||||
| Mid-West | 14.7 | 20.3 | 75.1 | ||||
| Midlands | 9.9 | 16.6 | 73.7 | ||||
| South-East | 18.8 | 20.0 | 72.3 | ||||
| South-West | 15.5 | 19.6 | 81.3 | ||||
| West | 16.3 | 26.3 | 75.8 | ||||
| Table 4a Persons intending to take a Domestic trip in the next 12 months by Reason, Accommodation type and Destination, April 2021 | |
| Trip Intentions % | |
| Reason for journey | |
| Holiday, leisure and recreation | 74.2 |
| Visiting friends and relatives | 22.4 |
| Other personal | 2.3 |
| Professional/business | 1.1 |
| Accommodation type | |
| Hotel/Guesthouse/B&B | 56.7 |
| Self-catering | 20.7 |
| Own holiday home/Mobile home | 5.3 |
| Accommodation provided by friends/relatives | 15.7 |
| Other type of accommodation | 1.6 |
| Destination | |
| Border | 12.8 |
| Dublin | 8.4 |
| Mid-East | 4.3 |
| Mid-West | 8.2 |
| Midlands | 3.5 |
| South-East | 13.3 |
| South-West | 28.7 |
| West | 20.6 |
| Table 4b Persons intending to take a trip Overseas in the next 12 months by Reason and Accommodation type, April 2021 | |
| Trip Intentions % | |
| Reason for journey | |
| Holiday, leisure and recreation | 58.2 |
| Visiting friends and relatives | 33.5 |
| Other personal | 3.8 |
| Professional/business | 4.6 |
| Accommodation type | |
| Paid accommodation | 66.8 |
| Free accommodation | 33.2 |
| Table 4c Persons intending to take a trip to Northern Ireland in the next 12 months by Reason and Accommodation type, April 2021 | |
| Trip Intentions % | |
| Reason for journey | |
| Holiday, leisure and recreation | 67.2 |
| Visiting friends and relatives | 24.6 |
| Other personal | 5.5 |
| Professional/business | 2.6 |
| Accommodation type | |
| Hotel/Guesthouse/B&B | 64.3 |
| Self-catering | 13.8 |
| Own holiday home/Mobile home | 0.6 |
| Accommodation provided by friends/relatives | 19.1 |
| Other type of accommodation | 2.1 |
Periodicity
Single survey period - April 2021.
Scope
Domestic and Outbound travel which involve overnight trips, and associated variables, of all residents aged 18 years and over of the Republic of Ireland.
Coverage
All private households.
Purpose
The purpose of the Intention to Travel Survey is to measure the impact of COVID-19 on domestic and outbound travel plans involving overnight trips and including associated details (purpose of trip, type of accommodation used etc.) of Irish residents aged 18 years and over.
Data Collection
The Intention to Travel Survey was carried out in April 2021 under Section 24 of the Statistics Act, 1993. Participation was voluntary.
Over 14,000 Irish households (approximately 1% of all households) were randomly selected from the CSO Household Register to participate in an electronic survey, which asked a number of questions about upcoming travel plans in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Overseas. The survey also requested information on any overnight travel plans cancelled due to COVID-19 since March 2020.
Each household received a letter inviting one person over the age of 18, selected using the next birthday selection method, to participate in the survey. No information was collected on any other household member.
Overall, 2,294 responses were received, giving an effective response rate of 16.4%.
Grossing
A two stage grossing and calibration process was used to make the respondents representative of the entire relevant population. Firstly, the number of respondents was aggregated using the household by NUTS 3 region totals from the CSO household register for Q1 2021. Next these weights were calibrated to sum to the population for Q12021 for region and gender by age classes for those aged 18 years and over, using CALMAR2.
Definitions
Overnight Trip
An overnight 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 are not part of regular travel and involve at least one overnight stay away from home are included in the Intention to Travel Survey.
Domestic Trip
A domestic trip refers to travel in the Republic of Ireland.
Outbound Trip
An outbound trip refers to any travel outside the Republic of Ireland. For the Intention to Travel Survey outbound trips were separated into Northern Ireland and Overseas (which refers to all destinations outside of the island of Ireland).
Rounding
Individual percentages have been rounded independently and the sum of the component items therefore may not necessarily add to the total.
NUTS Regions
The regional classification used in the Intention to Travel Survey is based on the NUTS (Nomenclature of Territorial Units) 2016 classification. The composition of the regions is set out 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 | |||||
Hide Background Notes
Scan the QR code below to view this release online or go to
http://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/er/itt/intentiontotravelsurveyapril2021/
Show Intention to Travel survey Table 1 Persons who cancelled a trip since March 2020 due to COVID-19 by Sex, Age group and Region of residence, April 2021
Hide Intention to Travel survey Table 1 Persons who cancelled a trip since March 2020 due to COVID-19 by Sex, Age group and Region of residence, April 2021