Ireland’s Economic Outlook 2026: Markets, Tourism and Consumer Trends

Join Jane Kavanagh from AIB’s Corporate Treasury desk, AIB Chief Economist David McNamara, and Jonathan Clarke, Head of Hospitality, Tourism & Leisure with AIB Business Banking, for the first Market Talk podcast of 2026. In this wide‑ranging episode, the panel reflects on how the Irish economy and key sectors performed through a challenging 2025 and shares their outlook for 2026 amid ongoing geopolitical uncertainty and shifting market dynamics. Tune in for: A deep dive into Ireland’s hospitality and tourism sector, including a slow start to 2025 followed by a strong rebound in visitor numbers and consumer spending Insights into changing consumer behaviour, premiumisation trends, and the challenges facing pubs, restaurants, and rural hospitality businesses An overview of Ireland’s domestic economic resilience, labour market strength, and how Ireland compares with global peers Global market perspectives covering the US, Eurozone, UK, and Asia, with a focus on growth trends, equity markets, and investor sentiment Central bank outlooks for the ECB, Bank of England, and Federal Reserve, including expectations for interest rate cuts in 2026 Currency market analysis, including euro/dollar and euro/sterling forecasts and what exporters should watch Discussion on US trade policy, tariffs, and what recent developments mean for Ireland and European trade A forward-looking view on tourism demand, hotel supply, cost pressures, and why the sector remains cautiously optimistic for the year ahead Stay informed with expert analysis and practical outlooks for the new year.

You can listen to Ireland’s Economic Outlook 2026: Markets, Tourism and Consumer Trends online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Ireland’s Economic Outlook 2026: Markets, Tourism and Consumer Trends is an episode from AIB Market Talk by AIB Market Talk.

This episode is 30:07 long.

This episode was published on Feb 27, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from AIB Market Talk when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.