Tourism Ireland Hopes for a Field Goal With College Football Visitors

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Dublin, Ireland, will be the backdrop this weekend for a unique event: the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. Tourism Ireland announced in a press release that it plans to leverage this event and promote the nation to American visitors. 

The sporting extravaganza will mark the beginning of the 2025 season. On August 23, Kansas State University's Wildcats will face off against the Iowa State Cyclones. The following weekend, two more fixtures will take place. 

"This will be just the second time ever that K-State will play a football game outside the United States…" reads the Aer Lingus website. The first occasion, featuring the Wildcats, was an exhibition match in Tokyo, Japan, in December 1992. "This will be Iowa State's first international football game," concludes the report. 

America has long had an affinity with visiting Ireland, which is hardly surprising considering the size of Ireland's American diaspora. A huge 31.3 million, or 9.4% of U.S. citizens, claim some form of Irish ancestry, according to a 2024 Maptitude study. Moreover, the popularity of NCAA Football means a guaranteed horde of US college football fans will attend. 

Tourism Ireland's press release quotes accounting network Grant Thornton, predicting "an estimated €130 million for the economy." The group predicts 22,000 American fans and 2,000 international visitors will attend, bringing a much-needed injection of money into Ireland's economy. 

Clearly, the idea of seeing the much-loved "Farmaggedon" take place in the old country is appealing to those with a love of sport and European travel. 

What's more, the organization plans to use the NCAA fixtures to promote Ireland as a tourist destination. The organization has planned a campaign of commercials targeting each game's 4.5 million stateside viewers tuning in to ESPN's coverage. 

Such news will be music to the ears of some Irish residents who rely on visitors for their livelihoods. Many have been feeling the squeeze of Ireland's increasingly expensive business climate. 

Travel and World Tour's recent article on the Irish tourism industry cites hoteliers in the Eastern County of Louth as an example. They spoke to James McKenna, who represents the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF), who is rallying for help to make the industry more competitive.  

He cites "economic instability, and international political uncertainty" as being some of the factors affecting tourist confidence in the region. Nonetheless, the main issues stem from crippling running costs, namely food. 

He argues Ireland's current 13.5% VAT on food services is out of step with other European countries like Germany, which plans to drop this levy "from 19 percent to 7 percent starting in January 2026." Other measures the IHF is pushing for include:

• Countering growing operating costs for business;
• Better funding for sectoral growth;
• Easier air travel access for tourists;
• Assistance for developing seasonal hotel employee accommodation; 
• Help with sustainability initiatives;
• More investment in staff training and skills development.

Ironically, these requests come at a time when Ireland's economic growth has been far from unhealthy, according to Focus Economics. Over the past five years, the country has experienced a vibrant 5.4% annual GDP growth. Therefore, finding such funding should, in theory, be achievable. 

Symptoms of Ireland's checkered tourism have been on the radar since late 2024, when The Telegraph's Nicola Brady explored the subject. Brady reported candidly on that year's disappointing visitor drop off. Her research found that the 2024 tally of 6,300,000 holidaymakers was down from 10,951,000 overseas visitors from the previous year — a staggering 42% drop in visitors.

Still, these statistics have also drawn some criticism, as the method for delivering such numbers has also changed. Brady quotes Tourism Ireland's rebuke of the new Central Statistics Office (CSO) methodology for its data retrieval. The CSO has replaced two bodies previously responsible.

Nevertheless, it still looks grim as far as this year's numbers are concerned, Radio Television of Ireland ( RTE ) reported in July 2025, how numbers are still down. The culprits are Ireland's British, Continental European, and other visitors. Meanwhile, American visitors increased by 5% during this period. 

The Irish Tourism Industry Conference released its 2024 findings, showing why there is no surprise that Tourism Ireland is targeting the United States. It shows the growing importance of Ireland's inbound travelers from the North American continent. "North America has become increasingly important and now accounts for 36% of overall spend," reads the review. 

In short, American and Canadian visitors "spent on average €1,526 per person while in Ireland." This figure is double the European tourist and three times the British tourist average spend. 

In any case, Ireland might feel short-changed as a tourist destination, considering just how many great things Ireland offers visitors. While sporting events and nights out in Dublin might appeal to a college football fan, there are a multitude of other experiences one can enjoy. 

Many business owners will be hoping Tourism Ireland doesn't fumble its tourist industry's needs. With some luck, the country may have a chance at refocusing its world-class reputation as a welcoming home away from home. There is one certainty: America already knows this is the case.