Irish holidaymakers not put off by cost-of-living crisis, study reveals

Katie Mellett

Almost 80 per cent of Irish people are making daily cutbacks, such as cooking at home instead of getting a takeaway or eating out, cutting back on nights out and making coffee at home, in order to prioritise travel a survey has found.

PayPal's new Travel Check-in report found travel remains a priority for 62 per cent of people, despite the cost-of-living crisis, while 64 per cent are looking to make up for lost travel time over the last couple of years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Eight in 10 said they are willing to adapt travel plans to be more cost-effective rather than cancel, and 79 per cent are looking to save money in their daily lives to prioritise travel.

The survey showed 85 per cent of Irish consumers either have or are planning to book a holiday for 2023, and almost a third are set to go on more than two holidays this year.

Eight out of 10 respondents said they are planning to leave Ireland for their holidays, which the most popular international destination being Spain, followed by the UK, Italy and France.

For those planning to stay closer to home, the top destinations within Ireland were Galway, Cork, Donegal and Dublin.

The average estimated spend on holidays for the year, including booking and all travel costs, came in at approximately €2,320. The biggest spenders were from Clare, Cork and Donegal.