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Home Blog The Rise of Walking & Cycling Tourism in Ireland – Insights Report

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The Rise of Walking & Cycling Tourism in Ireland – Insights Report

As Seen In

Ireland draws visitors who want more than a quick loop of the headline sights. Many travellers now ask for trips that feel slower, more local, and built around time outdoors on trails, greenways, and coastal paths.

Ireland’s appeal as a walking and cycling destination stems from a few forces that reinforce one another. Strong visitor volumes meet a country where walking forms part of daily life, while trail, greenway, and cycle investment keeps widening the choice of routes for multi-day trips.

Four threads run through the story:

  1. Tourism demand – How big Ireland’s visitor economy is, plus where walking, hiking, and cycling sit within trip purpose and activity choices.
  2. Routes and places – The trail, greenway, and cycle network that turns interest into real itineraries, plus the towns and businesses that serve these trips.
  3. Everyday movement and sustainability – What people in Ireland already do on foot and on bikes, and how that connects with climate and nature priorities.
  4. What travellers choose in practice – Ireland Walk Hike Bike booking patterns, then route-grading and timing guidance to help plan a trip.

Headline statistics at a glance

  • Ireland recorded 6.892 million overseas tourists and 16.571 million domestic trips, sustaining active holidays at scale.
  • 2,001,000 overseas tourists reported hiking or cross-country walking, showing that walking is mainstream.
  • 275,000 overseas tourists reported cycling, supporting multi-day bike itineraries beyond city breaks.
  • €11,631 million tourism revenue underpins accommodation, services, and trail-linked businesses.
  • More than 920 listed trails give visitors a choice across regions and difficulty levels.
  • 140 Walks Scheme routes add maintained, waymarked options across private land.
  • About 3,500 km across 85 cycle corridors links 200+ settlements for point-to-point routes.
  • 69% of adults walk for recreation, reinforcing a culture that welcomes walkers.
  • Dublin active travel removes up to 530,000 car trips daily through walking, wheeling, and cycling.
  • Bookings cluster on the Kerry Way and Dingle Way, highlighting flagship long-distance routes.
  • Most trips start between May and September, signalling peak demand for multi-day itineraries.

     

Taken together, these headline figures point to one simple idea. Ireland attracts large numbers of visitors, many travellers already choose walking and cycling activities, and a growing route backbone makes multi-day trips easier to plan.

What the tourism numbers say about walking and cycling

Ireland already runs a large visitor economy, so walking and cycling holidays sit inside mainstream tourism rather than on the fringe. The national tourism totals also show why active trips continue to grow. A large base of visitors, plus high overall spend, creates room for more holidays built around time on foot or on a bike.

According to the Fáilte Ireland 2024 Tourism Facts: National Summary (PDF), the 2024 national picture includes the following headline totals:

  • 6.892 million overseas tourists (tourist numbers shown in 000s)
  • 1.205 million visitors from Northern Ireland (tourist numbers shown in 000s)
  • 16.571 million domestic trips
  • €11,631 million total tourism revenue (about €11.6 billion)

Those totals show both scale and spending power in Ireland’s visitor economy, which creates room for more holidays built around time outdoors.

The next step is practical. Routes and towns determine how easily travellers can turn that demand into a multi-day walking or cycling trip.

Ireland’s visitor volumes and holiday mix

Walking and cycling holidays depend on the same fundamentals as every other trip. People need reasons to travel, time to stay, and a tourism system that can host them. The figures below show where classic holiday travel sits within Ireland’s wider visitor base, and how that demand changes across the year.

How much travel sits in the holiday segment

According to the Tourism Ireland 2024 Situation & Outlook Analysis Report: May 2024 (PDF), inbound trips for the 12 months from April 2023 to March 2024 break down as follows:

  • 2.725 million trips came for a holiday (42%)
  • 2.317 million trips came to visit family or friends (36%)
  • 0.959 million trips came for business (15%)
  • 0.501 million trips fell into other reasons (8%)
  • 6.503 million total inbound trips across all purposes
  • 51.430 million total nights across all purposes, with a 7.9-night average length of stay

     

That mix matters for active holidays because holiday travel forms a large share of inbound demand, and average stays leave time for point-to-point itineraries.

Seasonality in the CSO monthly inbound tourism series

The CSO’s monthly Inbound Tourism releases describe overseas resident visitors who stayed at least one night in Ireland and departed via Irish airports and seaports. These releases exclude visits from Northern Ireland residents, plus visitors who depart via Northern Ireland ports and airports.

Those two monthly snapshots show how visitor volumes and spend can swing between peak season and winter, which helps explain why walking and cycling itineraries tend to cluster in the brighter months.

Recent trend signal from the 2025 CSO releases

These updates add context for planning and outreach. They show large visitor volumes remain in place, while month-to-month conditions can shift.

Hiking, walking, and cycling as holiday activities

Walking and cycling sit inside mainstream trip planning for people who already travel to Ireland in large numbers. Activity participation counts for 2024 show millions of overseas visitors doing at least one on-trail or on-bike experience during their stay.

Overseas visitors who reported taking part in outdoor activities (2024)

Fáilte Ireland’s Tourism Facts 2024 release reports the following activity participation totals for overseas tourists (figures shown in 000s and based on Fáilte Ireland estimates using its Survey of Overseas Travellers):

  • 2,001,000 overseas tourists who reported hiking or cross-country walking in Ireland (2024)
  • 275,000 overseas tourists who reported cycling in Ireland (2024)

     

Those participation totals show walking and cycling appear at a meaningful scale within overseas travel to Ireland.

These activity totals count participation, not repeat sessions. One person who hiked on multiple days still appears once in the hiking or walking total.

A domestic snapshot from Ireland’s Ancient East

Domestic leisure travel shows a similar pattern, with walking appearing as a common part of the trip activity mix. The Fáilte Ireland 2024 Tourism Facts: Ireland’s Ancient East fact card (PDF) reports that domestic holidaymakers in Ireland’s Ancient East engaged in the following activities:

  • 52% reported walking
  • 19% reported visits to a nature reserve or national park
  • 12% reported hiking
  • 8% reported cycling

That activity mix shows walking is a common part of domestic holidays in Ireland’s Ancient East, with hiking and cycling also appearing in the same travel context.

Holiday travel remains the dominant peak-season driver

The CSO’s Inbound Tourism August 2024 release reports holiday or leisure as the most frequent reason for travel among foreign resident overnight visitors in that month (48.8%).

Peak-season trips still have varied motives, yet a large holiday segment creates a strong base for walking and cycling experiences that guests can add to a broader Ireland itinerary. That matters because active days can sit comfortably inside a wider sightseeing holiday, rather than requiring a specialist-only trip.

The US market and other long-haul active visitors

Long-haul markets matter for active tourism because they combine longer stays with higher spend per trip. Tourism Ireland’s US market data also shows a strong match between American holiday preferences and Ireland’s trail, greenway, and scenic touring offers.

US holidaymakers – Share of value, nights, and volume

According to the Tourism Ireland 2023 US Market Profile (PDF), the United States delivered the following holiday segment totals on the island of Ireland in 2023:

  • 26% of overseas holidaymakers, 29% of overseas holiday nights, and 39% of overseas holiday revenue
  • €1.2 billion in overseas holiday revenue (2023)
  • 813,000 overseas holiday trips (2023)
  • 5.9 million overseas holiday nights (2023)
  • €1,469 average spend per holiday trip and 7.2 nights average holiday stay on the island of Ireland (2023)

US activity interests and satisfaction signals

The same market profile reports that US holidaymakers commonly take part in trail and nature activities while in Ireland:

  • 52% reported hiking during their holiday
  • 77% reported visiting national parks
  • 5% reported cycling
  • 93% said they would recommend a holiday in Ireland to others, with top stated reasons including friendly people (52%), scenery and nature (29%), and Ireland as a great place to visit (24%)

These signals point to a market already drawn to trails, parks, and scenery, which aligns with multi-day walking routes. 

Recent CSO context on North American share and spend

CSO monthly releases show North America taking a substantial share of foreign visitor spend in mid-season. 

The CSO Inbound Tourism June 2025 release reports visitors from the United States at 25% of visitors that month, and it reports North America at 30% of visitors while accounting for €283 million (44%) of spend excluding fares. 

The CSO Inbound Tourism October 2025 release reports the United States at 22% of visitors in October 2025.

Together, these figures show why long-haul demand can matter for active trips. Longer stays and higher spend per trip can support multi-day itineraries built around trails and scenic regions.

Trails, greenways, and trail towns across Ireland

Walking and cycling holidays depend on something simple. Visitors need mapped, maintained, and easy-to-follow routes, plus towns that can host multi-day trips. 

The trail register, the National Walks Scheme, greenways, and the National Cycle Network show how Ireland builds that foundation. A large trail register, a growing maintenance scheme, and expanding cycle corridors help travellers choose routes with clearer structure and support.

The National Trails Register and the Walks Scheme

Ireland’s walking offer rests on a trail register that requires inspection for inclusion, plus a separate scheme that funds maintenance on selected routes that cross privately held land.

National Trails Register – What it is and what “listed” means

According to the Sport Ireland Outdoors (n.d.) Ireland’s Trails overview, the National Trails Register exists to record Waymarked Trails in Ireland. The same page states that trails must be inspected to be included on the register, using a standard template and scoring methodology developed by the National Trails Office.

Sport Ireland Outdoors also states that the register includes trails at various stages of accreditation and development, and that trails at an early stage of development or with outstanding safety issues will not be displayed on the public map.

National Walks Scheme – Scale and recent expansion

According to the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht 2024 press release on the largest ever expansion of Ireland’s National Walks Scheme, the expansion announced on 28 February 2024 added 62 new way-marked walking and hiking trails across 17 counties, taking the total number of nationally recognised trails to 140, up from 40 in 2019.

The same press release states that the change is part of a phased expansion that will increase the number of trails on the Walks Scheme from 80 to 150 over the next two years. It also states that funding under the scheme is provided to farmers and other landholders to maintain the walking trails that go through their holdings. 

The press release reports that over €15 million has been paid to farmers and landholders participating in the scheme since 2017, with an additional €1.4 million spent on maintenance materials.

Greenways and the National Cycle Network

Greenways and national cycle corridors shape how visitors move through landscapes without relying on a car for every stage. They also create clearer, more legible options for multi-day cycling itineraries.

National Cycle Network – Scale and connectivity

According to the Transport Infrastructure Ireland (n.d.) National Cycle Network page, the National Cycle Network consists of 85 corridors across approximately 3,500 km and connects to over 200 settlements, with a combined population of over 2.8 million.

The same page states that 80% of households and 89% of jobs are located within 5 km of the network.

That connectivity emphasis matters for visitors because point-to-point routes work best when they link into towns, services, and onward travel options.

Greenways and active travel delivery signals

According to the Transport Infrastructure Ireland (n.d.) Greenways, Active Travel & National Cycle Network page, TII became the approving authority for greenways in September 2021 on behalf of the Department of Transport. 

The same page states that TII is investing €60 million a year in greenways, national cycle networks, and national roads for active travel up to 2030, supporting local authorities to deliver 990 km of the National Cycle Network plus selected other projects.

That page also reports:

  • 36 km of greenways delivered in 2023
  • 53.2 km under construction across 10 projects
  • 41 active travel projects receiving funding for planning and design works in 2023
  • 18.5 km of segregated cycleway completed along major and minor road projects

A TII presentation provides a breakdown that sums to the same 990 km total.

According to the TII 2024 “Active Travel Infrastructure Assets” presentation (PDF), the 990 km total is presented as:

  • 310 km greenway retrofit
  • 210 km of new greenways
  • 165 km NTA-funded urban active travel
  • 35 km Dungarvan to Youghal pathfinder
  • 200 km hard-shoulder repurpose
  • 70 km of national, regional, and local road active travel


On the ground, this mix points to more linked routes and more separated cycling sections, which makes point-to-point trips easier to plan.

Trail towns, rural investment, and local businesses

Routes do not work in isolation. Town-level trailheads, access points, and route connections help convert a line on a map into a trip a visitor can plan with confidence.

Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS)

According to the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht 2024 press release on over €16 million for 69 projects in Ireland’s great outdoors, the Minister stated that the overall allocation under the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) reached over €129 million since the scheme launched in 2016.

The same press release states that the funding announced covers 69 larger-scale outdoor recreation projects. It also states that the Department’s ORIS projects, funded since its establishment in 2017, have reached over 1,650 nationwide.

For year-by-year approvals lists, the government maintains an ORIS funding approvals collection.

According to the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (last updated 3 November 2025) ORIS funding allocations collection, the site provides a list of ORIS funding approvals from 2016 to 2025.

Taken together, these funding signals show sustained attention on outdoor recreation projects across Ireland, which supports the town-to-town experience many walkers and cyclists want.

Every day walking and cycling add another layer of context, because daily habits shape what feels normal on holiday and what local places can support.

Ireland is a walking country – Everyday habits and sustainability

Walking and cycling already form part of everyday life in Ireland. Those habits help explain why many visitors enjoy trips built around trails and greenways, and they also connect with wider health and climate outcomes.

How people in Ireland walk and cycle in daily life

According to the Sport Ireland 2023 Irish Sports Monitor 2023 Annual Report (PDF), recreational walking remains widespread across the adult population, while active travel reaches a substantial share of adults in a typical week.

Recreational walking and overall activity

  • ISM 2023 reports 69% of adults regularly walked for recreation.
  • Recreational walkers averaged 4.8 walks per week and 50.1 minutes per walk.
  • The report also lists 240.5 minutes per week of recreational walking on average.
  • ISM 2023 categorised 39% of the population as “highly active”, which it states equates to around 1.6 million adults who met the National Physical Activity Guidelines through sport and recreational walking alone.

Recreational walking at this scale helps explain why walking feels familiar to many travellers in Ireland. It also points to a wide base of people who already value time outdoors.

Walking for transport

  • The report’s long-run series reports 46% of adults walked for transport in 2023.
  • A new 2023 measure that counts days with 30 minutes or more of walking for transport reports 40% of adults, which ISM 2023 attributes to the higher time threshold compared with the original series.
  • Among adults who walked for transport regularly, ISM 2023 reports an average of 3.7 walks per week.

Transport walking gives extra context for visitors. When walking is part of daily mobility, towns and cities tend to have more experience supporting people on foot.

Cycling for transport

  • ISM 2023 reports 9% of adults cycled for transport and describes this as a statistically significant decline since 2022.
  • Among adults who cycled for transport regularly, ISM 2023 records an average of 2.9 cycles per week.
  • The report shows higher cycling-for-transport participation among younger groups, including 18% among those aged 16 to 19.
  • The gender analysis reports a gap in cycling for transport among younger adults, including 18% of men and 9% of women aged 16 to 24 cycling regularly for transport.

Cycling for transport sits at a smaller share than walking, yet it still appears as a routine behaviour for some groups. That background helps explain why cycleways and greenways can feel like a natural part of holiday planning.

Dublin and Cork as active travel case studies

The Walking and Cycling Index helps translate everyday movement into outcomes that people recognise, including fewer car trips, better health, lower emissions, and measurable economic value. Dublin and Cork offer two clear snapshots because both reports use the same structure and modelling approach.

Dublin Metropolitan Area (Walking and Cycling Index 2023)

According to the National Transport Authority and Sustrans 2023 Walking and Cycling Index: Dublin Metropolitan Area (PDF), the Dublin snapshot reports:

  • 94% of residents walk or wheel.
  • 71% walk or wheel on at least five days a week.
  • 25% cycle at least once a week.
  • Up to 530,000 car trips are taken off the road each day through walking, wheeling, and cycling.
  • 4,373 long-term health conditions prevented (modelled).
  • 120,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions saved per year (modelled).
  • €2.39 billion in annual economic benefits (modelled).

Cork Metropolitan Area (Walking and Cycling Index 2023)

According to the National Transport Authority and Sustrans 2023 Walking and Cycling Index: Cork Metropolitan Area (PDF), the Cork snapshot reports:

  • 89% of residents walk or wheel.
  • 52% walk or wheel on at least five days a week.
  • 18% cycle at least once a week.
  • Up to 69,000 car trips are taken off the road each day through walking, wheeling, and cycling.
  • 729 long-term health conditions prevented (modelled).
  • 18,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions saved per year (modelled).
  • €401.6 million in annual economic benefits (modelled).

     

These city results use modelling, so the direction matters more than any promise of exact replication in a different place. Still, the two reports offer a concrete way to show why travel choices that involve less driving can matter for people and places.

For travellers, that same direction can translate into simpler city breaks on foot, easier connections to day walks, and more short-distance riding that pairs with public transport.

Climate, nature, and the case for low-carbon holidays

Ireland’s walking and cycling tourism story sits within a wider national picture on biodiversity and emissions. The EPA’s State of the Environment assessment helps anchor that context using published status findings and scenario projections.

Nature status signals

According to the Environmental Protection Agency 2024 Ireland’s State of the Environment Report 2024: Summary Booklet (PDF), research in Ireland highlights:

  • 85% of protected habitats are in unfavourable status.
  • Almost one-third of protected flora and fauna species are in unfavourable status.
  • Over half of native plant species are in decline.
  • More than 50 bird species are of high conservation concern.

     

These findings frame the wider context around nature-based travel. Scenic landscapes remain a major draw, yet the status indicators show real pressure on habitats and species.

Emissions projections and the 2030 gap

According to the Environmental Protection Agency 2024 State of the Environment Report: Chapter 4 Climate Change (PDF), EPA projections set out two scenarios for greenhouse gas emissions reductions by 2030 compared with 2018:

  • The With Existing Measures scenario can deliver an 11% reduction by 2030 (projected).
  • The With Additional Measures scenario can deliver a 29% reduction by 2030 (projected).
  • The national 2030 target is a 51% emissions reduction.

     

The gap between the projected scenarios and the national target helps explain why transport choices keep appearing in climate policy discussions, including choices made during holidays.

Transport and travel choices

The EPA frames mobility choices as part of a wider shift away from transport based largely on private vehicles.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency 2024 State of the Environment Report: Executive Summary (PDF), that transition includes moving towards sustainable mobility enabled by good planning and accessible public transport.

A holiday built around trails, greenways, and short local transfers fits that direction in a practical way.

For visitors, that can mean fewer long drives, more time outdoors each day, and more nights spent in the towns that sit along the routes.

What Ireland Walk Hike Bike’s guests are choosing

Ireland attracts travellers who want active days outdoors, then time in towns and villages at a slower pace. Booking patterns in our internal booking sample data show how those preferences translate into booked trips, with self-guided formats making up most itineraries.

Many guests choose self-guided hiking in Ireland as the core experience. Others travel with us on guided walking tours in Ireland or choose a cycling or self-drive format.

Snapshot from our bookings (sample data)

  • 1,597 total itineraries analysed
  • 4,278 adult guests
  • 1,220 itineraries in self-guided formats
  • 984 itineraries with two adults

     

That snapshot gives two quick signals. Self-guided trips account for most itineraries, and two-adult parties appear frequently, which fits the way many people plan a shared walking or cycling break.

Product mix – Self-guided hikes, cycles, and self-drive trips

Self-guided hiking accounts for the largest share of both itineraries and adult guests in our bookings. Self-guided cycling and self-driving follow. Guided hiking represents a smaller itinerary share, with larger average group sizes.

  • Self-guided hiking: 862 itineraries and 2,048 adults
  • Self-guided cycling: 336 itineraries and 861 adults
  • Self-drive: 182 itineraries and 468 adults
  • Guided hiking: 175 itineraries and 714 adults
  • Other formats combined: 42 itineraries and 187 adults

     

Group size differs across formats in the same data:

  • Guided hiking: 4.08 adults per itinerary (average)
  • Self-guided hiking: 2.38 adults per itinerary (average)

     

The format mix stays consistent with what many travellers want from Ireland. Independent pacing dominates, while guided trips tend to involve larger groups.

Hotspot routes – Kerry, Dingle and beyond

A small set of destination labels accounts for a large share of our itineraries, led by The Kerry Way and The Dingle Way.

  • The Kerry Way: 489 itineraries and 1,184 adults
  • The Dingle Way: 386 itineraries and 955 adults
  • Ireland Driving Tour: 178 itineraries and 475 adults
  • The Wicklow Way: 86 itineraries and 194 adults
  • The Beara Way: 78 itineraries and 190 adults
  • Burren, Aran, Connemara: 74 itineraries and 202 adults
  • Dingle & Ring of Kerry: 31 itineraries and 77 adults

Our bookings also use broader destination labels such as Ireland (140 itineraries) and All Destinations (55 itineraries).

Those route clusters align with Ireland’s best-known long-distance walking regions and Atlantic-facing landscapes, which helps explain why Kerry and Dingle appear so often in itinerary choices.

Trip types for different travellers

Trip format and grading help guests match effort and structure to the kind of holiday they want.

Format signals in our bookings:

  • Self-guided formats: 1,220 itineraries and 2,959 adults
  • Guided formats: 195 itineraries and 851 adults
  • Drive: 182 itineraries and 468 adults

     

That split gives a simple way to match the holiday shape to your travel style. Self-guided suits travellers who want independence with support in the background, guided trips suit travellers who prefer a group structure, and self-drive suits travellers who want more flexibility between regions.

Choosing your Irish walking or cycling holiday

Planning a walking or cycling holiday becomes easier once you know where routes concentrate, how trip formats differ, and what pace feels right day to day.

Matching routes and grading to your goals in 3 easy steps

Start with two decisions that shape almost everything else: the region you want to see and the day-to-day effort you want to put into the trail or on the bike.

A simple way to build your shortlist looks like this:

  • Choose a region first based on the routes you want to prioritise

Our bookings cluster strongly around the Kerry Way and the Dingle Way, with additional demand on the Wicklow Way, the Beara Way, and Burren, Aran, and Connemara-style itineraries.

  • Pick a trip format that matches your independence level

Self-guided trips suit travellers who want to set their own pace. Guided trips suit travellers who want a group, a guide, and a set schedule. Self-drive trips suit travellers who want road-trip flexibility with walking or cycling built into the plan.

  • Use our grading bands to match your effort to your comfort zone

Our hiking grades use Comfortable (up to 12 km per day), Moderate (up to 20 km per day), and Energetic (more than 20 km per day).

Our cycling grades use Comfortable (up to 50 km per day), Moderate (up to 60 km per day), and Energetic (up to 90 km per day).

If you want to jump straight from this guidance to a filtered list of options, start here: self-guided walking and cycling tours in Ireland.

When to travel and how busy to expect it

The CSO’s monthly inbound tourism releases show a familiar pattern: summer months tend to carry the highest visitor volumes, while winter months run quieter. Our bookings show how that seasonality translates into real start dates for walking and cycling holidays.

The main takeaway is simple. Most trips start in the brighter months, so early planning helps secure preferred dates, route options, and accommodation style.

Snapshot from our booking sample data

  • 1,393 itineraries started in May to September.
  • Those same months accounted for 3,797 adult guests.
  • The highest-start months in the data were:

    • May: 302 itineraries
    • July: 285 itineraries
    • June: 282 itineraries
    • August: 264 itineraries
    • September: 260 itineraries

That pattern gives you a simple seasonality reference point from real start dates.

  • May, June, and September accounted for 844 itinerary starts in our bookings.
  • July and August accounted for 549 itinerary starts in the same bookings.

Planning an enquiry with Ireland Walk Hike Bike

A good first message helps us move quickly from general interest to a clear set of itinerary options. Share the essentials below, and we can point you to trips that fit your time, pace, and preferred region.

What to include in your enquiry

  • Your preferred travel dates and any fixed constraints
  • The region or route you want most (Kerry Way, Dingle Way, Wicklow Way, Beara, Burren, Connemara)
  • Your preferred format (self-guided, guided, self-drive)
  • Your likely grading band and typical daily comfort level
  • Any must-see stops, plus dietary or accommodation notes that matter for planning

What our multi-day trips include

Our multi-day trips include:

  • Pre-arranged accommodations, including B&Bs, guesthouses, or 4-star hotels selected for hospitality and location
  • Daily luggage transfers, so you carry only a day-pack between stops
  • A detailed info pack with route notes and maps
  • A GPS navigation app for self-guided trips
  • A 24/7 support hotline during the trip

Ireland’s rise as a walking and cycling destination

Ireland already has the ingredients for strong walking and cycling holidays. Visitor demand remains large, daily walking habits run deep, and route investment keeps adding places where spending less time driving feels straightforward.

What the data tells us about Ireland as an active holiday country

Ireland suits active holidays because it supports them at scale, not as a niche add-on. High visitor volumes create demand for outdoor experiences, while everyday walking habits and a widening network of routes make it easier to plan multi-day trips that feel simple on the ground.

At the national scale, the Tourism Facts totals show how active breaks sit inside mainstream travel. The figures include 6.892 million overseas tourists and 16.571 million domestic trips. In the same release, 2,001,000 overseas tourists reported hiking or cross-country walking in Ireland, and 275,000 reported cycling.

Sport Ireland’s Irish Sports Monitor reports 69% of adults walked for recreation in 2023. On the supply side, Sport Ireland Outdoors reports the National Trails Register lists more than 920 trails, and the 28 February 2024 Walks Scheme expansion brought the scheme total to 140 trails.

That combination points to a clear picture. Ireland attracts large numbers of travellers – many visitors already choose walking and cycling activities, and the route backbone keeps growing, helping more people match a holiday to their preferred pace and place.

Ireland Walk Hike Bike’s role and invitation to travel

Our bookings show how those national patterns turn into real holidays. From 5 March 2023 to 10 November 2025, self-guided formats accounted for 1,220 of 1,597 itineraries, with strong concentration on routes like The Kerry Way and The Dingle Way.

We use that experience to help you choose a route and a pace that fit. Our trip structure keeps the planning simple, with mapped routes, pre-arranged stays, luggage transfers, and on-trip support so you can focus on what matters most to you.

If you want help choosing dates, a route, and a pace that fit, we’re here to help.

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Francis Hartnett

I have over 15 years experience in activity tourism, having worked in the golf trade before joining Ireland Walk Hike Bike in 2016, becoming co-owner in 2021. I am passionate about the outdoors, with a big love for walking – as well as Rugby, Football and Golf.
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