Tourism NI Welcomes Record £1.2 Billion Visitor Spend

New figures released by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) – the first Northern Ireland (NI) annual tourism statistics since 2019 and the Covid pandemic – indicate visitors to Northern Ireland spent a record £1.2 billion in 2023.

This spend was generated from 5.4 million overnights trips taken in the region, 60% of which were taken by those from outside of Northern Ireland. On average, visitors stayed 3.1 nights and spent £224.44 per overnight trip in the 12-month period.

Of the £1.2 billion spend, 56% was spent outside of Belfast. Domestic trips (by NI residents) accounted for the highest proportion of overall trips in the region, at 40%, with Great Britain residents accounting for 27%. There was an unprecedented number of visitors from the Republic of Ireland in 2023, with these accounting for almost one-quarter of all trips during the year. Tourism NI’s Consumer Sentiment Research found that the majority of ROI visitors said their trip matched or exceeded expectations, with the range of places to eat & drink and the welcome & hospitality being particularly highly rated.

Local Government District figures, also published today by NISRA, show the benefits of tourism are experienced across the north, with 69% of visits in 2023 taken outside of Belfast. Today’s NISRA figures also reveal that hotel room occupancy in Northern Ireland was 64% in 2023. STR hotel data indicate high average daily hotel rates for 2023. In addition, in 2023, there were 5,845 tourism businesses operating in Northern Ireland, of these, 77% were outside the Belfast city council area.

John McGrillen, CEO of Tourism NI, said: “We are very pleased with the latest tourism statistics released today which indicate that the industry has recovered very successfully from the impact of the COVID pandemic.

“The results we are seeing today are the result of the great collaboration between the Government, the tourism agencies, local councils and the tourism industry over the past four years in delivering the Tourism Recovery Action Plan drawn up in response to the devastation of the pandemic.

“Whilst it’s difficult to make direct comparisons with 2019, the fact that overnight spend by tourists has reached an estimated £1.2bn in 2023 represents a very impressive performance given the many challenges the industry has faced in recent years.”

Mr McGrillen added: “The statistics would suggest that business from the GB market, which is extremely important to the NI tourism industry, has now fully recovered.

“This performance creates a great platform for future growth, particularly given that the volume of flights between Irish airports and international markets has now exceeded 2019 levels.”