Minister for Tourism Peter Burke has said there “is absolutely not a crisis” in the Irish tourism sector and that “he would push back hard on that”.

The number of tourists who visited Ireland in February was down 30%, with the economy missing out on more than €88 million compared with the same period last year according to data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

Some 304,300 foreign visitors completed a trip to Ireland in February 2025, a decrease of 30% compared with February 2024.

The largest contingent of visitors came from Great Britain (49%), and the second largest came from the United States (10%).

Tourists with bicycles enjoying a day out. Picture by: Alamy.com

Tourism industry chiefs have said that Ireland may be heading towards a crisis point.

However, the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke refuted those claims.

He said he is expecting a very, strong, positive year for tourism in the months ahead.

"I would be very hopeful, particularly for the summer months with the lifting of the cap at Dublin Airport and I am confident over the weeks and months ahead that it will pick up," he said.

Minister Burke did concede though that Ireland needs to focus on countries outside North America to encourage tourism.

“We have to work on diversifying because it’s critical that we look at opportunities from other markets, particularly European markets," he said.

Main image: Tourists in Dublin wearing Irish Tricolour top hats. Picture by: Sarah-Louise Burns / Alamy Stock Photo