Tourism industry 'created almost 5,000 jobs in 2014'

Up to 5,000 new jobs have been created in the tourism sector this year, according to the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation.

The tourism body said that overseas tourists spent more than €3.5bn here in 2014, and it is predicting an extra 400,000 visitors in 2015.

It is calling for €250m investment over five years to ensure sustainability in the sector.

Meanwhile, yearly visitors to The Cliffs of Moher in Co. Clare have topped the one million mark.

The Irish Independent reports that visitor numbers at the Cliffs of Moher increased by 12.5% in 2014.

Figures released yesterday showed 1.08 million people visited the scenic cliffs in 2014, 115,000 more than visited last year.