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MORE IRISH PEOPLE are opting to stay in Ireland for their holidays, and when we do go abroad, we spend more than our European neighbours.
So does it simply make more sense to save on airfare and enjoy what our own tourist attractions have to offer?
Or is there greater value for money in heading off to sunnier climes around Europe and beyond, and avoiding the risk of a rainy week spent indoors here at home?
Staycation nation
Recent figures suggest we are increasingly throwing our bucket and spades in the car, rather than filling our suitcases with Hawaiian shirts and heading for the airport.
[image alt="irishholidayhabits" src="http://cdn.thejournal.ie/media/2014/07/irishholidayhabits-145x145.jpg" width="145" height="145" wp-size="size-thumbnail" credit-url="" credit-source="CSO%20data" credit-via="" credit-via-url="" caption="" title="" wp-id="wp-image-1594610" class="alignnone" /end]
The Central Statistics Office’s (CSO) recent Household Travel Survey found that from January to March this year, the Irish took a total of 547,000 holiday trips within Ireland, up from 524,000 last year.
Meanwhile, holidays abroad dropped from 592,000 between January and March 2013, to 528,000 in the same period this year.
Indeed, CSO figures published just yesterday showed a steady decline in the popularity of overseas holidays, with a third successive drop in trips abroad for the first half of the year in 2014.
[image alt="tripsabroad" src="http://cdn.thejournal.ie/media/2014/07/tripsabroad-145x145.jpg" width="145" height="145" wp-size="size-thumbnail" credit-url="" credit-source="CSO" credit-via="" credit-via-url="" caption="" title="" wp-id="wp-image-1594613" class="alignnone" /end]
Big spenders
When we do get out the passport and the sandals and head overseas, we are likely to spend a good bit more on our holidays than most Europeans.
A recent study by Expedia found that 59% of Irish travellers invest in new clothes before setting off on a foreign holiday, as opposed to the European average of 38%.
We are also among the biggest spenders on duty-free, pre-flight (and in-flight) booze, and – perhaps surprisingly – hair removal and beauty treatments.
However, Irish Travel Agents Association CEO Pat Dawson told TheJournal.ie today that costs while on holiday can be significantly lower abroad than at home, with resorts in places like Spain and Portugal usually 30-40% cheaper than Ireland.
Popular destinations often provoke price competition between airlines like Aer Lingus and Ryanair, which also benefits Irish holiday makers, he added.
When Fáilte Ireland surveyed hoteliers and other businesses involved in the tourism industry, for its Tourism Barometer back in May, they found that the domestic market was the biggest single growth area in the last year.
Two thirds of PSA (paid serviced accommodation) providers have experienced a boost among domestic holiday-makers, and weekend breaks from within Ireland were on the rise for 59% of hotels and B&Bs.
A spokesperson for Fáilte Ireland told TheJournal.ie today that while the cost of hotels and accommodation did become unreasonable during the Celtic Tiger years, “value for money is at its best in 10 years.”
So, does it make more financial sense to holiday in Ireland or abroad?
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Went to Dingle last year. Lovely little town but we got ripped off everywhere we went. Never again.
The Doctor, Agree! I lived in Dingle and it’s a beautiful town and spectacular peninsula but yes you get ripped off everywhere! Cafés, bars, shops etc. There is a real take the “American dollar” for all you can get feel to the place now. Very sad as it used to be such an authentic spot. Something else I noticed are the increasing unethical shops there too. Jewelers, craft shops etc importing produce (not fair trade) while telling tourists their local made. Not good! Still like visiting there mind you but I have many local friends so I know where to go. There are cheaper and just as beautiful spots up and down the West coast.
Please don’t tell me Dingle is becoming the Hanoi of Vietnam with dollar bills pasted on everyone’s foreheads, with everyone scammed and treated like dirt with rip off merchandise.
LOL, in Hanoi we apparently drank Jameson Whiskey, it tasted more like a Canadian whiskey. Same same but different.
Don’t know what you did in Hanoi, but when I was there last year, we ate for around €1 each. Beers about 30 cent. Stayed in hotel suites which cost about €30 a night including breakfast. Cheapest holiday we’ve ever had.
Staycations are for the 2008 hipsters… Vietnam for me, €2k flights & Acom incl 5*resorts. About 4 days here if priced the equivalent.
You obviously didn’t try Cambodia where the US$ is all they will accept. After a few days, we ended up changing the local Rials (that we changed at the border) into US$ as no one anywhere would accept them. Found in Vietnam that they didn’t much like credit cards, only cash for EVERYTHING.
Going down the country for a holiday is very expensive when you compare to European destinations like Spain and Portugal and other places that are so much cheaper and lovely weather which we don’t get here
I priced trabolgan this year for a week and instead got Spain for 2 weeks for €200 more.
That’s crazy
Isn’t the price difference between a one week and two week holiday normally relatively close anyway?
Friday
Once you have paid for your flights everything else is only a few €s extra
So we only paid another €50 each for an extra week.
I stand corrected.
My personal experience over many years tells me that it is actually cheaper to go abroad for a holiday. Some may vehemently disagree, but that has been my genuine experience. Irish businesses are not satisfied with small profits – they must be huge, or it’s not worth the trouble.
I would love to holiday in Ireland but I really like getting a week in the sun and despite the fact that we’ve had a reasonable summer I was stuck in work for the duration which meant I couldn’t really enjoy it. If you sign up for a week in Spain/Portugal you’re guaranteed the sun and you’ll probably spend about the same money as you would on a week at home so it makes little odds.
if staycation means not paying for accommodation and organising stuff over a 2 or 3 week period then that can work especially if you like outdoor activities. But no way would I book a 2 week holiday in Ireland months in advance and risk a wash out.
Abroad often makes better economic sense as there is still a ripoff attitude here among businesses. That aside Northern Ireland can be very affordable as I found out yesterday. £29 family room for four in Premier Inn Belfast, £7 family pool trip with slide and wave machine, Affordable meals with drinks in Wetherspoons from £5. Drinks in hotel from £1.50 with 2 for 1 deal. Otherwise Carlsberg pints £3.05 in a nice hotel bar.
Sorry but staying in a Premier Inn in Belfast isn’t my idea of a holiday.
Well enjoy your caravan in Courtown so.
Thanks dad for the crap holiday
More to foreign holidays than finance. More to do with experiencing different culture, food etc and the expectation of good weather. Ireland has some of the most beautiful places in the world and during the day when the weather’s good, you wouldn’t need to be anywhere else. What puts me off is the range of activities to do in the evening. There’s really not much esp when you have kids. May as well be at home as sit in a pub in Kerry listening to talk about the Munster final
Keep the mind chilled and every day can be a holiday ..
So hard to find accommodation in Ireland for 2 adults with 4 children. Have to book 2 rooms. Works out soooo expensive. Can book a 3 bed apartment in sunny climes for much cheaper. Why would I spend an absolute fortune here. If tourism needs a boost in Ireland then they need to look at their prices. Thats what’s holding them back.
Have you tried self catering Fiona? when our kids were young we rented in Galway, Tramore etc & it worked out great, very flexible when you have children and a lot of self catering houses are within hotel complexes so you have full use of the hotel facilities, just an idea you might like to consider.
Went to Kylemore quay in Wexford after Kilkee in co Clare was looking at €160 per night including bfast. Needless to say Wexford was not much cheaper and eating out was totally off the wall. A crap scampi and chips at lady’s island was €17.
Kilmore quay?
I bought a crab meat sandwich in a pub in lahinch and got john west crab meat.
It is definitely cheaper to eat out abroad but the standard of the food is much lower than in Ireland. I am not a food snob but a main course in the majority of restaurants in the popular resorts in Spain or Portugal consist of meat or fish, a tiny little portion of very basic salad (few leaves and maybe a bit of tomato) or a portion of very plain cooked vegetable, a choice of either chips (very small portion) or a very watery baked potato. Desserts are almost always of the mass produced totally tasteless type. I presume there are more high end restaurants that serve better food than I have seen but I have yet to come across them. I think it all depends on a person’s priorities, if you just want to relax and be almost guaranteed good weather then going abroad is a good option but definitely Ireland is streets ahead as regards standard of accommodation, food & entertainment. So horses for courses really.
Mary I agree 100%.
You get what you pay for.
Mary,
I think it may be because you’re basing the comparison on restaurants that are located in resorts in Spain & Portugal. These places do not need to produce good quality food, as they are only there to cater for tourists.
If you venture away from the tourist areas, restaurants in Spain & Portugal can be a lot cheaper and much better quality.
I’m sure you are right Chris but most people who go on holidays to these countries stay in the popular resorts. It suits to be able to walk along the prom/strip in the evening & pick a place to eat without having to source a restaurant first & then get a taxi to it. I’d prefer to pay a few extra €s and get a better meal but that doesn’t seem to be an option in any of the resorts I’ve been.
Spot on Mary, and if you holiday in Spain and stay in a resort and eat in local restaurants it can be a cheap holiday. But if you hire a car and move around then it costs a lot more.
It all depends on what you want from a holiday.
I for one do not do sitting by the pool for a week. Two of my favorite things to do is hiking and Photography so a holiday on the west coast of Ireland would be fantastic.
Id have no problem using B&Bs or even campsites to get a few hours kip. A holiday is as expensive as you make it be it at home or abroad.
I agree P O Leary, there are plenty options if one keeps an open mind. When our kids were young we did self catering in Ireland for a few years, rented in Galway & the kids had a ball in Salthill, the same in Tramore where we stayed in a mobile home, each to their own, I have friends who would have no problem spending huge money to stay in a 5 star hotel, I personally couldn’t justify that so I have no problem going cheap & cheerful. The people we meet & the craic we have is what makes it good for me.
Until they legalise brothel and open a High Times coffee shop I’ll continue to go abroad for my holidays as it’s cheaper especially the 55 club in Costa Teguise.
The pinnacle of class.
The 55 club is full of velvet throat ladies which are pure class it has to be said.
Deadly buzz.
Now that is pure class
Still don’t get why people pay for sex and its free everywhere.
Free? You really believe that..
No strings attached and cheaper than so called free.. You really think it’s free?
The feminist army on the Journal will love you. Hang around.
I use wh@res and have done for the last 30 yrs of the 50 milestones I’m on this rock and I’ve had hundreds of wh@res in various different countries and I’ve never met a feminist who has said it’s wrong why? Because it’s FA to do with you it’s called choice but in RCC inc Ireland you’re not allowed the choice.. Why?
Was in Rosslare last week as family of 2 adults and 3 kids in a large 2 bedroom apartment right on the beech. Cost was €400 for the week excluding food, weather was stunning. Great value.
Done a couple of cheap weekends in Ireland recently that when compared to going abroad, worked out a lot less expensive. Yes eating out and drinks can cost more here but there are some bargains to be had. The cost of flights and associated taxes are getting ridiculous, making short trips abroad not as attractive.
I go to Amsterdam once every 18 months or so – it’s an expensive enough city but with planning there are major savings to be made. I usually go for 4 or 5 nights and the whole thing usually works out at €800 or thereabouts without cutting corners – tip : fly home from Eindhoven, much cheaper.
I go to Amsterdam once a year. Went in Feb for 4 days, stayed at the NH Barbizon Palace, paid €196pp including flights based on 2 sharing. I’m a travel consultant and when I travel I avoid June to August. I know many families can’t take the kids out of school due to the rip off prices, but for many others travelling off season will save you hundreds.
All those brassers too
I go away for a fair few weekends in Ireland & the secret is to shop around for accommodation. I’ve booked some very nice B&Bs for around €30 or €35 pps in Killarney, Kenmare etc but if you want to stay in a top class hotel be prepared to pay a lot. I don’t mind staying in a B&B as long as it is clean & functional as we only book in & then head out. I always check all the various booking websites as well as the premises own websites. I’ve booked 3 nights in 3 different location in the South East for this August bank holiday weekend, 2 are B&Bs and one is a hotel with dinner included, total price for 2 of us is €279. So if people take the trouble to shop around and if you are flexible about where you’d like to go there are bargains to be had. The same with restaurants I find, plenty places doing deals on early bird, set 2 or 3 course menus etc.
From a U.K. perspective, Ireland is now way way overpriced in the area of self catering or hotels.Two years ago we stayed in a beautiful wooden chalet style house in one of the most beautiful lake shores in Norway with the use of a row boat and no neighbours. £320 for a week including the booking fees. The tiny cottage in Letterfrack where we used to stay was way over double that for the same week and now is over £700 for the same week. Ireland is really becoming a rip off destination and the bubble will burst.
Who can afford a holiday??
Wow, you sound like such catch!! Heaven only knows why you’d have to resort to paying for it…
Side note..I do hope you get yourself ‘checked’. It’s all fun and games until your pen!s resembles a cauliflower.
Wexford.. Makes sense now.
Considering most Irish peoples ‘holidays’ involved them not returning, this isn’t much of a surprise
Do you test and stop driving on motorways
The L stands for lackadaisical. Plate stands for plate. I won’t stand for your comments, but I’m irish so I’ll do feck all about it
I for one admire your contempt for the system
Rip off!! It’s cheaper to go aboard and it least you can be sure off the weather !!
Stupid question.
Where in Ireland and where overseas?
Depends doesn’t it?
Sitting in the sun is free.. sunbathing swimming etc..
A wet day in ireland means pubs cafes and whatever else.. pricey esp if you have kids to entertain
have your say