A Vision for Ireland's Tourism Future
Tourism Ireland has published its most ambitious strategic plan in the organisation's 25-year history, setting a target of £1.3 billion in overseas tourism revenue by 2035 and outlining a comprehensive programme of marketing, product development, and sustainability initiatives designed to position the island of Ireland as one of Europe's premier tourism destinations.
The strategy, titled Ireland 2035: A World-Class Tourism Destination, was launched at a ceremony in Dublin attended by tourism ministers from both jurisdictions, industry representatives, and Tourism Ireland's board. It builds on the strong recovery in visitor numbers that has characterised the past two years, with 2025 seeing the highest number of overseas visitors to the island of Ireland since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Numbers
In 2025, approximately 11.2 million overseas visitors came to the island of Ireland, generating revenue of approximately £8.4 billion — figures that represent a full recovery from the pandemic and a new record for the sector. The 2035 target of £1.3 billion represents the additional revenue that Tourism Ireland aims to generate above the current baseline, through a combination of increased visitor numbers and higher average spend per visitor.
The strategy identifies five key source markets for growth: North America (particularly the United States and Canada, where the Irish diaspora provides a strong foundation for tourism marketing), mainland Europe (with particular focus on Germany, France, and the Netherlands), Great Britain (which remains the largest single source market by volume), Australia and New Zealand, and emerging markets in the Gulf region and Asia-Pacific.
Sustainability at the Core
One of the most striking aspects of the new strategy is its emphasis on sustainable tourism. Tourism Ireland has committed to ensuring that the growth in visitor numbers does not come at the cost of the natural and cultural heritage that makes Ireland attractive in the first place. The strategy includes specific targets for reducing the carbon footprint of tourism, dispersing visitors more evenly across the island to reduce pressure on over-visited hotspots, and supporting the development of tourism products that are rooted in local communities and traditions.
"We are very conscious that tourism can be a force for good or a force for harm," says Tourism Ireland CEO Laura Sheridan. "Our goal is to grow the sector in a way that benefits communities, protects our environment, and enhances rather than diminishes the experience of visiting Ireland. That means being thoughtful about where we direct visitors and what kind of tourism we promote."
The sustainability agenda includes a specific initiative to develop "slow tourism" products — walking trails, cycling routes, heritage experiences — that encourage visitors to spend more time in rural areas and smaller towns, rather than concentrating in Dublin, Galway, and the most visited scenic areas.
The Challenges Ahead
The strategy acknowledges several significant challenges that the sector will need to navigate in the coming decade. These include the rising cost of accommodation in Ireland's major cities, which is making the country increasingly expensive for budget-conscious visitors; the capacity constraints at Dublin Airport, which limit the number of direct international routes available; and the impact of climate change on some of Ireland's most iconic natural attractions, including coastal areas and upland landscapes.
The strategy also acknowledges the competitive pressure from other European destinations, many of which are investing heavily in tourism marketing and product development. "We cannot afford to stand still," Sheridan says. "The world is competing for visitors, and Ireland needs to keep investing in what makes us special."
Industry Response
The tourism industry has broadly welcomed the new strategy, though with some caveats. The Irish Hotels Federation described the targets as "ambitious but achievable" and called for parallel investment in accommodation capacity, particularly in regional areas. The Restaurants Association of Ireland welcomed the focus on food tourism, which it described as "one of Ireland's most underexploited competitive advantages."
For the communities across Ireland that depend on tourism for their economic vitality — from the Aran Islands to the Causeway Coast, from Killarney to the Glens of Antrim — the strategy represents both a promise and a challenge: the promise of continued growth, and the challenge of managing that growth in a way that preserves what makes these places worth visiting.
