Over three million foreign visitors came to Ireland in the first six months of the year, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), an increase of 15 per cent from the exceptionally slow year for Irish tourism in 2025.This year’s figures signify “a marginal decline” of 0.2 per cent from 2024, when 3.2 million foreign residents travelled to Ireland, and show the rocky time for Irish tourism last year – which many linked to US President Donald Trump’s approach to foreign policy – has since mellowed.Some 670,300 foreign visitors came to Ireland last month, the national statistics office said Thursday – a 2 per cent jump from June 2025 and “no change” from June 2024. Its analysis found the average length of stay for overnight visitors was 7.6 nights, a slight dip from 7.9 last year.Most visitors (35 per cent) came from Britain, while 32 per cent came from continental Europe. North American visitors accounted for 27 per cent of tourists in Ireland last month, while only 5 per cent came from the rest of the world. Excluding the price of their fares, they spent a combined €697 million in Ireland last month. North Americans were the biggest spenders, generating €273 million in revenue and accounting for 39 per cent of all money spent by foreign visitors. In a close second were visitors from continental Europe, who contributed €244 million (35 per cent) to the pool, followed by British tourists with €135 million, or 19 per cent. Visitors from elsewhere, such as South America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Oceania, spent €45 million (6 per cent) in total.[ Looking for a last-minute staycation? With some homes charging €4,000 a week, don’t expect a bargainOpens in new window ]This economic activity is an 8 per cent increase from last June, and despite recording slightly fewer visitors than June 2024, was a 2 per cent rise from that period as well.Just under half (49 per cent) said their trip was primarily a holiday, while 27 per cent said they were visiting friends and family. 14 per cent of last month’s visitors said they travelled to Ireland for a business trip.The CSO noted that visitors are not accounted for based on nationality, but instead their country of residence. What size does your pension actually need to be for a comfortable retirement? Listen | 31:47This means those who hold a foreign passport and normally reside in Ireland are deemed domestic travellers, not foreign visitors. Similarly, Irish passport holders who reside abroad are counted as visitors when they travel to Ireland. Visits from residents of Northern Ireland are not recorded.Just over 300,000 used hotels as their primary accommodation during their stay, while nearly 210,000 stayed in their own property or with family and friends. Only 45,000 used “rented/self-catering” accommodation.