The number of overseas visitors to Ireland grew by 5 per cent in the first nine months of 2005, in large part due to an influx of tourists from central Europe, according to new statistics.
Between January and September this year, there were 5.4 million overseas trips to Ireland, an increase of 256,500 on the same period in 2004.
A Central Statistics Office bulletin on overseas travel, published yesterday, also showed a rise in traffic in the opposite direction, with 4.8 million overseas trips by Irish residents between January and September 2005, an increase of 570,600 or 13.5 per cent on the same period in 2004.
In September alone there were 648,800 overseas trips to Ireland, an increase of 52,800 on last year. More than half of the traffic came from Britain, while more than 90,000 trips came from America.
The next biggest tourist markets were Germany (from which 41,800 trips were made to Ireland last month), France (23,000), the Netherlands (15,100), Poland (14,600) and Australia (13,500).
Welcoming the figures, Tourism Ireland said they showed mainland Europe to be the "star performer", with visitor numbers from the region increasing by 16 per cent in the first nine months of the year compared to the same period in 2004.
The agency's chief executive Paul O'Toole said the "huge increase in direct air access" to Germany and Spain in particular had yielded very positive results.
"The British market appears to be recovering well also, although the going remains tough and we are still a long way from a full recovery."
As for the North American market, he said: "It's been a case of swings and roundabouts. The year started poorly, picked up strongly in peak season and levelled off again in September."
Mr O'Toole said Tourism Ireland was undertaking a major review of the US market and its findings would be incorporated into marketing strategies.
Meanwhile, the Irish Hotels Federation, which published its 2006 Be Our Guest Guide yesterday, predicted a €130 million boost to the economy next year from Ryder Cup tourism.
