US tourists flock to Dublin for US country music star Zach Bryan's gigs amid surge in North American visitors
The Oklahoma singer-songwriter will play three concerts at Dublin's Phoenix Park from June 20-22 with a predicted attendance of over 180,000.
The gigs have delivered bumper bookings for Dublin hotels while pubs and restaurants are set to enjoy a surge in business over the next 10 days.
It is predicted that up to 10,000 US fans will visit Ireland, with the concerts a key reason for their holiday here.
Dublin tourism will savour its biggest boost since the Garth Brooks concerts of 2022 as, unlike rock acts such as Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift and Coldplay, the majority of ticket sales for country artists are outside the capital region.
Only 12pc of ticket sales for the Bryan concerts were in the Dublin area – with huge ticket demand in Connacht, Ulster, the UK and North America.
Bryan has enjoyed a stratospheric rise to stardom and will play here just two years after performing to 1,900 fans at The Helix in Dublin.
The concerts take place as Ireland is savouring a big recovery in US tourist numbers. Latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) revealed that one in five foreign holidaymakers who visited Ireland in April were from the US.
That represented a significant increase in North American visitor numbers compared with March. While the figure (18pc) was down 1pc compared with the same period last year, it represented an 8pc hike compared with the number of US holidaymakers recorded in April 2023.
The UK remains Ireland's biggest tourism market with four in every 10 visitors coming from England, Scotland or Wales. The Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) said the sector faces multiple challenges ranging from constrained airline seat capacity, global instability, the potential impact of Donald Trump's 'America First' strategy and economic issues on core visitor markets including the UK and Germany.
Irish tourism is expected to deliver revenue growth of between 5pc and 7pc, but growth in the overall number of visitors is expected to slip to its lowest rate for years. The European Travel Commission (ETA) has predicted average tourism growth across the 27 member states will exceed 8pc.
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However, the ITIC predicted that Ireland will fall behind the EU average – potentially peaking at 5pc growth.
Tourism Ireland estimated that the economy received a €7bn boost from tourism last year. Over 300,000 jobs are supported by overseas tourism, with Tourism Ireland aiming to boost the value of the sector to €9bn by 2030.
Tourism revenue growth has been boosted by the fact that inflation has eased and Ireland will be able to offer better value for money in accommodation terms thanks to over 7,000 new hotel rooms being delivered by the construction sector. A significant number of hotel and guest house rooms will also be returned to tourism use as refugees are allocated alternative accommodation.
Leading hoteliers said 2024 was a good year and this season was expected to deliver further growth. InterContinental Dublin general manager Nicky Logue said US business was strong while UK trade was down on previous years.
'Last year was a very strong year and, bar any great shocks, I predict the same in 2025, albeit with a lot of pressure on the bottom line with increasing costs of doing business,' Mr Logue said.
'Thankfully we performed well year-on-year due to strong group business from the US in particular and rugby.
Ireland and Slovenia are the only two European countries where airline seat capacity will decline in 2025
'Leisure business remains strong from the US, but the UK market is definitely not as strong as it has been in years gone by. Corporate business remains challenging with people travelling less and many still working from home a couple of days a week.'
Tourism groups said the main 'handbrake on growth' is the passenger cap at Dublin Airport.
Ireland and Slovenia are the only two European countries where airline seat capacity will decline in 2025. In Ireland, seat capacity will fall by 3.3pc.
That contrasts with countries like the UK (+3.9pc), France (7.1pc), Spain (+8.1pc), Italy (+6.1pc) and Denmark (+8.3pc).
An ITIC spokesperson said: 'With 70pc of the Irish tourism economy dependent on international visitation, it is vital that the main gateway into the country has headroom to grow.
'Although there is a court ruling to put a 'stay' on the cap for next summer, the issue of restrictions at Dublin growth is as pertinent as ever.
'This manifested itself last winter in air access into the country being down 3pc – the only top-20 European destination showing a decline.
'Growth at Shannon and Cork Airports must be facilitated, but this will not compensate for lost business at Dublin.'
From January 1 to October 31 last year, Ireland welcomed 5.79 million visitors which was an 8pc increase compared with the same period in 2023. Those visitors spent €5.38bn, an increase of 15pc compared with the same period in 2023.
However, Ireland experienced a 5pc decline last October in overseas visitor numbers compared to the previous year – a decline largely triggered by a fall in UK visitors.
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