Tourism Ireland expect 2004 to be best yet

Tourism Ireland has said it expects 2004 to be its most successful year on record.

Figures today show tourism generated €5.1bn in revenue last year, making it the third largest sector in the Irish economy.

North American visiting numbers were up by 6% while numbers from mainland Europe were up by 8%.

Paul O'Toole of Tourism Ireland said: “The gut feeling now is that the targets set are achievable but everybody is going to work hard to achieve that result.”