Northern Ireland’s latest tourism statistics have been published by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), the first full set of figures since the Covid pandemic.
The latest figures estimate that there were 5.4million overnight trips to NI in 2023 with an associated £1.2billion expenditure. This includes overnight trips by external visitors to NI and domestic trips taken by local residents.
Economy Minister Conor Murphy has welcomed the latest tourism figures.
The Minister said: “Tourism is one of our key successes and a regional economic driver across the north. These figures go to show that the sector is thriving. The statistics come on the back of what I know was a difficult period across the industry, but there are real signs of optimism across the sector as we emerge stronger. While today’s figures cannot be directly compared to previous statistics, undoubtedly £1.2billion of tourism expenditure is a significant economic boost. I am determined to continue to work with the industry to enable it to grow even further in a way that aligns with my economic vision of a productive, regionally balanced, net zero economy with good jobs.”
“Since taking up post, I have met with a number of tourism organisations and businesses and have heard first-hand the opportunities and challenges facing the industry. I have been hugely impressed with the industry’s optimism, energy, and ambition.
“I have set out my plans to support the industry’s continued growth and will shortly attend the first meeting of the Tourism Partnership Board (TPB) I have established to co-design and co-deliver an Action Plan which will set out a pathway to even greater success for local tourism.
“We have much to look forward to this year and beyond. The Irish Open will return to the north next month at Newcastle, and in 2025 we will host The Open in Portrush. Our tourism offering goes from strength to strength with many new hotels, attractions and experiences in the pipeline which has been boosted by the City Deal tourism projects.
“The outlook for local tourism is very positive, and we must maintain the momentum which has been created over the last few years to continue to build a tourism sector which can bring tangible economic benefits across all of the north.”
- External visitors were estimated to take 3.3million overnight trips to Northern Ireland in 2023. Expenditure associated with these trips was £0.9billion.
- In 2023, 2.1million overnight trips were made by local residents (domestic trips). Domestic trips made up 40% of overnight trips, highlighting the importance of the domestic tourism market.
- In 2023, the hotel room occupancy in Northern Ireland was 64%.
- The estimated room occupancy for guest houses, bed & breakfasts and guest accommodation for 2023 was 38%.
- In 2023, there were 5,845 tourism businesses operating in Northern Ireland. Over three quarters (77%) of these were outside of Belfast City Council.