TNI’s Industry Barometer Survey
Tourism Northern Ireland commissioned a survey in June with Northern Ireland’s tourism industry to monitor 2026 year-to-date (January-June) business performance, including outlook for the summer period, as well as causes for concern and reasons to be optimistic.
The research indicates:
A positive first half of 2026
- The survey points to a broadly positive picture for the first half of 2026 for many tourism businesses, with performance generally ahead of (55%) or in line with (29%) the same period last year.
- Growth has been strongest across the domestic, Republic of Ireland and Great Britain markets.
- The picture for international visitors is more stable, with around one in five businesses reporting lower international visitor volumes compared with January to June 25. Businesses linked this to a range of factors including global uncertainty, travel costs and the Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme.
Encouraging summer outlook
- Looking ahead to the summer period, industry sentiment is cautiously optimistic. Just over two in five businesses report advance bookings above normal levels for July to September 2026, with a similar proportion indicating on par bookings. However, the outlook is not positive for everyone, with 14% reporting bookings below typical summer levels.
Consumer confidence and cost pressures continue
- Despite this relatively positive trading picture, businesses continue to operate in a difficult environment.
- Reduced consumer disposable income, rising operating costs, energy prices and high staff costs remain key concerns across the sector, while increased competition and softer overseas demand linked to the geopolitical climate are adding to pressure for some businesses.
Recruitment issues remain
- Just over half of businesses employing staff report some (48%) or considerable (5%) difficulty recruiting the staff they need, up on the previous July and October 2025 industry surveys.
Factors supporting business optimism
- Despite ongoing challenges, the majority of businesses are confident that they will maintain overall business profitability for the remainder of the year, although 13% are less confident about doing so.
- Industry optimism is underpinned by strong visitor advocacy, with positive online reviews, recommendations and repeat visitors highlighted as reasons to be positive for the remainder of the year, alongside a robust programme of major and local events/ festivals. Continued destination marketing activity is also helping to support demand and sustain a positive outlook for the months ahead.
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Previous Tourism Industry Barometer Reports
To view previous Tourism Industry Barometer Reports, please click here.