Easy Read: Tourism Statistics Quality and Methods

How NISRA Produces Tourism Statistics: A Closer Look at Data Sources and Reliability

Overview

The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) report is a compendium of tourism statistics for Northern Ireland. To build accurate and comprehensive tourism estimates, NISRA draws on its own surveys and combines them with external data sources; most notably from the Republic of Ireland’s Central Statistics Office (CSO). This approach ensures that all travel activity, including cross-border movements, is properly captured and reflected in official statistics.

NISRA’s Core Data Sources

Northern Ireland Passenger Survey (NIPS): The NIPS is conducted at key airports and seaports across Northern Ireland. It collects essential data from overseas visitors as they leave the region. The survey gathers detailed information on:

  • Country of residence
  • Purpose of visit (e.g., holiday, business, visiting friends or relatives)
  • Length of stay
  • Visitor expenditure

This is NISRA’s primary data source for estimating inbound international tourism.

Continuous Household Survey (CHS): The CHS is a face-to-face survey carried out with residents across Northern Ireland. It includes questions on travel patterns, covering:

  • Frequency and purpose of trips within NI and abroad
  • Destinations and duration
  • Type of accommodation used

This data provides insight into domestic and outbound tourism by Northern Ireland residents.

Occupancy Surveys:

The Occupancy surveys are carried out with industry; Hotels, Guest Houses, Bed and Breakfast and Self Catering. Respondents provide a log of the number of days per month there was availability for visitors to stay and the number of days that the room was occupied. This allows occupancy rates for Hotels, Guest Houses Bed and Breakfasts and Self Catering Units to be calculated for NI.

Integration of Other data sources

Central Statistics Office Data – Republic of Ireland

Although NISRA does not directly survey all travel through the Republic of Ireland, it incorporates key published data from the CSO to account for cross-border tourism flows. These include:

CSO Passenger Survey (Inbound Travel):

Continuously monitors passengers arriving into the Republic of Ireland. Since many overseas visitors to Northern Ireland enter through airports in the Republic (such as Dublin), this data is essential for estimating inbound flows that cross the land border.

CSO Household Travel Survey:

Captures travel behaviour of Irish residents, including domestic and international trips. This is particularly useful for understanding Republic of Ireland residents who visit Northern Ireland, especially via road. By integrating CSO data, NISRA can estimate travel activity that occurs outside its direct survey coverage, providing a more complete picture of tourism across the island.

Ensuring Accuracy and Confidence in the Data

NISRA follows established statistical practices to produce high-quality and trustworthy tourism data:

  1. Regular and Representative Surveys: NIPS and CHS are conducted continuously, ensuring that tourism data reflects current conditions. Sample designs are constructed to be representative of the population or visitor base, reducing bias and improving reliability.

  2. Calibration with Transport Data: Survey findings are benchmarked against actual passenger volumes reported by transport providers. This cross-checking helps correct for under- or over-estimation and aligns survey results with real-world traffic.

  3. Integration of Multiple Data Sources: To fully account for complex travel patterns, NISRA integrates its own findings with external datasets, particularly CSO statistics, which helps fill gaps related to land travel between jurisdictions and indirect travel routes.

  4. Tailored Methodology for Local Context: Northern Ireland’s open land border with the Republic creates unique measurement challenges. NISRA’s approach is specifically adapted to reflect these cross-border dynamics and to produce meaningful regional tourism data.

  5. Use of Precision Estimates and Statistical Testing: The survey sample design of both NISRA data sources allows NISRA to produce statistical estimates with known levels of precision. This means NISRA can quantify the level of uncertainty around key metrics (such as visitor trips or spend). More importantly, it allows for statistical comparisons over time so that users can assess whether observed changes are likely to be real shifts in tourism behaviour, or just due random variation.Confidence intervals for the current year are found [here.](https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/tourism/annual-and-quarterly-tourism-statistics-publications

Why This Matters

Reliable tourism statistics play a crucial role in:

  • Guiding tourism policy and government investment
  • Supporting the growth of local businesses and hospitality providers
  • Monitoring the performance and competitiveness of Northern Ireland’s tourism sector
  • Planning infrastructure and transport services

By leveraging high-quality surveys and cross-border data integration, NISRA ensures that Northern Ireland’s tourism statistics are accurate, transparent and fit for purpose.

Summary

Tourism flows in Northern Ireland are influenced by both direct and indirect travel routes, as well as a shared border with the Republic of Ireland. Through a combination of continuous surveying, calibration with transport data, and the integration of CSO statistics, NISRA tourism produces a robust and reliable tourism dataset and compendium report. The use of well-designed samples and precision-based estimates ensures that key metrics are statistically sound, allowing policymakers and stakeholders to make evidence-based decisions with confidence.

Contact Details

Published by: Tourism Statistics, NISRA

Lead Statistician: Joanne Henderson

Telephone: 028 90 255163

Email: tourismstatistics@nisra.gov.uk

Accessibility contact

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Email:

Telephone: +44 (0)300 200 7836

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