US cash is king in Irish tourism

TLDR

• North American visitors to Ireland spent €97.5 million in May 2026 — up 121.8% year-on-year — while spending from Great Britain and Other Europe remained flat or fell.
• North America's share of total Irish tourism expenditure jumped from 33.3% in May 2025 to 63.8% in May 2026, overtaking Other Europe as the dominant spending market.
• Independent hotels on the transatlantic tourism trail — Dublin, the Wild Atlantic Way, Cork — have pricing power this summer they did not have last year; operators outside those corridors face the same demand as 2025.

Ireland's foreign visitor spending grew 16.1% in May 2026. The national figure looks like broad-based recovery. It is not. Nearly all of the growth came from one source market. According to CSO Ireland's ITM06 release, North American visitors — the United States and Canada combined — spent €97.5 million in May 2026, up from €43.9 million the year before. That 121.8% surge accounted for €53.6 million of the total €21.1 million increase in Irish tourism expenditure. Meanwhile, spending from Great Britain fell 0.3% and spending from Other Europe fell 0.1%.

For independent hotels, the May data marks a sharp regional and property-type split. If your property sits on the American tourism trail, you are operating in a different demand environment than last summer. If you do not, you are not.

North America overtook the rest of Europe combined in one year

North America's share of total Irish tourism expenditure jumped from 33.3% in May 2025 to 63.8% in May 2026. In absolute terms, North American spending (€97.5m) now exceeds spending from Great Britain (€37.4m) and Other Europe (€67.2m) combined. Other Europe — which includes France, Germany, Spain, and the Nordics — held its spending flat at €67.2 million, but fell from first to second place by share. Great Britain, historically Ireland's largest visitor market, now accounts for just 24.5% of May spending, down from 28.5% the year before.

The shift is not just volume. North American visitors are also the highest spenders per trip. Mean expenditure per North American visitor in May 2026 was €1,221 — 51.5% above the all-markets mean of €805, and nearly double the Great Britain figure of €700.

Currency and airlift drove the surge

Two structural factors underpin the North American growth. First, the US dollar strengthened against the euro through late 2025 and early 2026. The exchange rate in May 2026 averaged approximately €1 = $1.08, compared to €1 = $1.12 in May 2025. That 3.6% currency move made Irish hotel stays and day-to-day spending measurably cheaper for Americans paying in dollars.

Second, transatlantic airlift capacity expanded. Aer Lingus and United Airlines both added frequencies and seat capacity on US-Ireland routes through 2025 and early 2026, increasing the supply of direct nonstop flights from the eastern United States to Dublin and Shannon. More seats at lower average fares brought more visitors.

The accommodation-spend figures show the effect directly. North American visitors spent an average of €391 on accommodation in May 2026 — up 92.6% year-on-year from €203 in May 2025. Day-to-day expenditure (meals, transport, activities) reached €507 per visitor, the highest of any source market and 41.5% of their total trip spend.

Great Britain and Other Europe are holding, not growing

While North America surged, the two historically dominant markets stayed flat. Great Britain's total expenditure fell marginally from €37.5 million in May 2025 to €37.4 million in May 2026 (−0.3%). Mean spend per British visitor rose just 1.2%, from €692 to €700 — roughly in line with inflation, meaning no real pricing power.

Other Europe posted €67.2 million in May 2026, down 0.1% from the year before. The region accounts for 43.9% of May spending — still a large share, but down from 51.0% in May 2025. For independent hotels in regional Ireland that depend on European touring visitors, the May data shows demand holding steady but not strengthening. The rate environment from last summer has not changed.

What this means for operators

• Dublin and Wild Atlantic Way operators: The North American surge is structural — airlift and currency both favor continued growth through summer 2026. Your comp set is not the property down the road; it is last year's rate card. If you held rates flat from summer 2025 to summer 2026, you might have left money on the table. You could experiment with different rates.
• Regional operators outside the American tourism corridors: Do not assume you have the same pricing power. The CSO data shows Great Britain and Other Europe spending holding flat. If your property draws primarily from the UK, France, or Germany, you are operating in last year's demand environment. Rate aggression might cost you occupancy.
• Shannon and Cork operators: You sit in the middle. Both airports receive transatlantic arrivals, but Cork's American traffic is smaller and Shannon's is concentrated around a few weekly frequencies. Check your May and June on-the-books data by nationality if your PMS captures it. If North American bookings are up more than 30% year-on-year, you might have room to move rate. If they are up less than 15%, treat your property like a regional European-dependent and hold rate steady.