Tourism Performance Statistics
This page contains Tourism NI’s Tourism 360° Performance Updates, as well as summaries, reports and infographics on the latest NI tourism performance statistics.
Tourism 360° Performance Update
The Tourism 360° Performance Update summarises the latest available research and insights including Northern Ireland hotel performance, Tourism NI's analysis of digital data sources and more.
To view the Tourism 360° Performance Update reports, please click here
NI Annual and Quarterly Tourism Performance
Summary reports published by Tourism NI
Annual and Quarterly Tourism Performance Statistics are published by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) and the Central Statistics Office (CSO). Tourism Northern Ireland produces reports to provide an overview of these and other statistics, together with industry sentiment.
Annual Statistics
Full year 2025 figures released by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) relating to overnight trips taken in Northern Ireland (NI) are presented below.
Data for January to December 2025 indicates strong growth in overnight tourism performance, driven largely by the island of Ireland markets. Overall, increases are evident for trips and expenditure, alongside more modest growth in nights, with NI’s food and drink offering as well as world class attractions highlighted as key influences driving visits. Holiday and business trips experienced the largest increases, with those visiting friends/relatives similar to 2024 levels.
The proportion of overnight trips taken outside Belfast in 2025 (70%) was on par with 2024 (69%).
Looking ahead to 2026, Northern Ireland tourism started the year with good underlying momentum in hotel performance and overall visitor sentiment, however consumer confidence fell sharply in April as households braced for rising costs and a more uncertain economic outlook. Performance remains volatile amid geopolitical instability, with consumer decision-making remaining sensitive to cost and confidence, bringing opportunities and threats for NI tourism.
Quaterly Statistics:
NISRA’s January-June 2026 tourism statistics point to a positive first half of the year for Northern Ireland (NI) tourism, with overnight trips increasing by 7% and associated expenditure rising by 9% compared with the same period last year.
The domestic market was the main driver of growth, with overnight trips taken by NI residents increasing by more than one fifth compared with January-June 2025. Steady demand from the Republic of Ireland (ROI) and an increase in trips from other overseas markets also helped offset the decline in trips from Great Britain (GB).
Holiday remained the leading reason for visiting NI and was the standout contributor to growth during the first six months of the year, recording double-digit increases across trips, nights and expenditure. In contrast, trips to visit friends and relatives and those for business purposes declined.
Day trips continued to make an important contribution to the wider visitor economy. Over the 12 months to June 2026, same-day visits and associated expenditure increased substantially, driven largely by strong growth from both the domestic and ROI markets.