Northern Ireland overnight trip spend: friends or relatives
Northern Ireland overnight trip spend: friends or relatives stood at £313,680,615.2 in 2025, according to Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA). It is one of the indicators in the Tourism (Northern Ireland) table (Value · Annual), with a complete series running from 2023 to 2025. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Tourism (Northern Ireland) table
| Indicator | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overnight trip expenditure by purpose | ||||
| Visiting friends or relatives | 313,680,615.2 | 308,953,064.4 | 372,025,306.9 | |
| Business | 150,884,295.2 | 150,025,031.9 | 184,514,882.8 |
Understanding northern Ireland overnight trip spend: friends or relatives
This series measures the financial expenditure of travellers whose primary purpose is visiting friends or relatives in Northern Ireland, stated in GBP. Because this visitor segment often utilises non-commercial housing, their spending profile differs markedly from holidaymakers, leaning more heavily toward retail, dining out, and local transport rather than accommodation fees. Both domestic and inbound visitors staying with personal hosts are captured within this monetary metric.
Interpreting this data requires recognising that lower accommodation outlays do not signal a lack of economic impact, as spending is often redirected into local retail and hospitality sectors. Initial estimates undergo standard revisions as financial surveys and administrative data are reconciled. Year-on-year comparisons offer the most robust method for analysing trends without seasonal distortion from family holiday periods. Users should avoid assuming that spending per night in this category matches commercial tourism benchmarks.
Frequently asked questions
- Why is spending typically lower in this category?
- Visitors often stay with friends or family, reducing commercial accommodation expenses.
- What types of purchases are included here?
- Spending on food, retail shopping, local transport, and entertainment while visiting contacts is captured.
- Are gifts given to hosts counted as visitor expenditure?
- Personal gifts may be captured within retail survey components, but primary trip spend focuses on goods and services consumed during the stay.