Figures released by the Central Statistics Office show that tourism in Ireland continues to grow in 2015, as visitor numbers surged by nearly 14 per cent.
In the period between February and April 2015, a total of 1.78 million people arrived in Ireland, which is over 200,000 more than the same period last year.
The Overseas Travel report showed an increase of 20 per cent of visitors from North America, while the UK (up ten per cent) and European tourists (15 per cent) also showed strong growth.
People coming from long haul area also took a sizable jump, up 24 per cent on the same time in 2014, due in some part to a relaxing in the visa requirement regulations.
More Irish people are going overseas too, with 1.46 million people taking trips abroad from here, although there are no data on where they visited. This represents an increase of more than eight per cent; more than 100,000 people.
Speaking about the CSO figures, Fáilte Ireland said: “With all our key markets delivering an overall increase of 14% visitors tourism businesses around the country are upbeat and seem set for one of our best tourism seasons yet.
“Our experience and value for money ratings are continuing to improve, making Ireland a much more popular holiday choice than before.
“The appeal of our Wild Atlantic Way continues to increase and with growing interest the Ireland’s Ancient East and Dublin brands, the future looks bright for jobs and earnings in Irish tourism.”
