Dublin sees 35% increase in popularity as a destination for UK hen and stag parties

Eva Osborne

Dublin has seen a 35 per cent increase in popularity from 2019 to 2024 for UK stag and hen parties, according UK stag and hen do experts, StagWeb.co.uk and GoHen.com.

Cork has seen a 22 per cent increase in popularity over the same period.

The stag and hen do companies said Ireland could see a further "big spike" in parties arriving from the UK in 2025 following Prague's decision to ban pub crawls.

Organised pub crawls are set to be banned in the Czech capital from 10pm until 6am in a bid to reduce noise pollution in the city.

Creative director at StagWeb and GoHen, Jon Stainer, said: “Post-pandemic, we saw a big drop-off in people heading to Eastern Europe in favour of Spanish and Irish destinations and that will almost certainly increase in 2025 following Prague’s decision to ban organised pub crawls.

“Initially, the war in Ukraine was causing a lot of uncertainty in the region and saw people looking elsewhere but we were expecting travel to return to the region in 2025.

“However, introducing a pub crawl ban is a statement for stags and hens to think twice about heading to Prague and we expect even more to turn to Spain and Ireland next year.

“Whether it’s Dublin, Cork, Galway or elsewhere, Ireland is known for its vibrant nightlife and welcoming atmosphere and is perfectly positioned to benefit economically from this.

“In 2019, Prague was our most popular destination by far but has since dropped off with Dublin rising above it as our 3rd most popular destination.”

Most popular destinations 2019 vs 2024

2019

1. Prague
2. Hamburg
3. Benidorm
4. Lisbon
5. Berlin
6. Dublin
7. Budapest
8. Amsterdam
9. Barcelona
10. Krakow

2024

1. Benidorm
2. Albufeira
3. Dublin
4. Lisbon
5. Barcelona
6. Berlin
7. Prague
8. Amsterdam
9. Krakow
10. Budapest