Northern Ireland annual tourism statistics 2018

Date published: 06 June 2019

The latest annual Northern Ireland tourism statistics for 2018 were published on 06 June 2019

The key points are:

• In 2018 there were an estimated 5.0 million overnight trips in Northern Ireland. This includes trips by external visitors to Northern Ireland and domestic trips taken by local residents. Estimated expenditure associated with these trips was £968m;
• Overnight trips to Northern Ireland by external visitors was estimated to be 2.8 million. Expenditure associated with these trips was £669m;
•  An estimated 2.2 million hotel room nights were sold in Northern Ireland. Hotel room occupancy was estimated to be 70% in 2018;
• A total of 128 cruise ships docked at Northern Ireland ports in 2018.  This was an increase compared to 112 cruise ships in 2017 and a marked increase from 62 cruise ships in 2013;
• When all sources are considered together, the statistics point towards an upward trend in overall tourism activity in Northern Ireland between 2013 and 2018.  The headline measures of trips and spend are the highest estimates on record, but there is no statistically significant change between 2017 and 2018.  However, there have been statistically significant increases over the longer term.