Bulgaria starts its first full week using the euro, meaning those heading to cities such as Sofia or ski resorts like Bansko will no longer need to worry about exchanging cash or dealing with currency fees.
For Irish travellers, it brings Bulgaria in line with other popular eurozone destinations and makes spending simpler for holidays, business trips and short city breaks.
Inflation takes centre stage on Tuesday with the release of the flash estimate of the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) for December from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The figures follow a November reading that showed inflation easing slightly as prices were up 3.2pc over the year to November, while there was a small fall compared with October.
That marked a slowdown from earlier in the autumn, though Irish inflation remained higher than the eurozone average.
Energy prices continued to play a role, rising both over the month and over the year.
Wednesday will see the publication of Bord Bia’s annual report for 2025, the report is expected to provide an overview of how Ireland’s food and drink sector performed over the past year, including trends in exports and demand across key markets.
On the same day, the CSO will release its monthly unemployment figures for December.
In November, the unemployment rate stood at 4.9pc, down slightly on the previous month but higher than a year earlier.
Male unemployment followed a similar pattern, easing month-on-month while remaining above November 2024 levels.
The December figures will show how the labour market performed during the busy festive period, when sectors such as retail, hospitality and delivery services usually see a seasonal lift in employment.
Tourism rounds out the main data releases for the first full week of 2026, as on Thursday the inbound tourism figures for November get published.
The data will offer insight into overseas visitor numbers as Ireland moved out of the peak summer season and into the quieter winter months.
It follows a year in which tourism saw strong demand during peak periods but a softer performance outside the main travel season.
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