The Titanic exhibition centre in Belfast has just welcomed visitor number one million.

The 2014 Giro d’Italia will start in Northern Ireland and will have at least one stage finish in the Republic.

Christy O’Connor Jnr is backing world No 1 Rory McIlroy to win at least 10 major titles.

Sixteen years after the country played host to the Tour de France, Ireland could yet again be about to stage an iconic bike race after it emerged that Belfast and Dublin have teamed up in a bid to win the right to stage part the Giro d’Italia.

Signs of a resurgence in the hospitality sector have been signalled by Georgina Campbell who yesterday judged the Granville Hotel in Waterford as the Irish hotel of the year and The GreenHouse in Dublin as restaurant of the year.

Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) chief Alan Clarke has hailed the Irish Open at Royal Portrush as one of the most successful events ever staged in the north.

Top names from the food, restaurant, and tourism sectors have sharply criticised the Environmental Protection Agency for potentially destroying Ireland’s “clean, green” agricultural image by allowing GM potatoes to be grown in Ireland.

For hometown player Graeme McDowell, it was the realisation of a long-held dream, and after months of hype, expectation and promises, the return of the Irish Open to Royal Portrush, for the first time since 1947, delivered everything it said it would.

Next week’s Irish Open at Royal Portrush will be the first sell-out the European Tour has ever had for a regular event.

Next week’s Irish Open at Royal Portrush will be the first sell-out the European Tour has ever had for a regular event.

Next month's Irish Open golf championship at Royal Portrush is set to become a near sell-out.

Sean Paul hopes Pixie Lott will join him on stage at Titanic Sounds in Belfast tonight .

Nearly 35,000 Titanic enthusiasts have already pre-ordered tickets to tour a new £90m (€108.1m) visitor attraction dedicated to the doomed liner.

PETS TO GET A FRIENDLY WELCOME IN THE NORTH

A TITANIC-THEMED wedding might not provide the ideal metaphor for a plain-sailing future together, but that is unlikely to discourage couples reserving the North’s latest venue for their big day.

A Titanic-themed wedding might not provide the ideal metaphor for a plain-sailing future together, but that is unlikely to discourage couples reserving the North's latest venue for their big day.

A bid to bring a professional golf tournament back to Northern Ireland following the region’s stunning success in the world game has been backed with a financial commitment from the Stormont government.

BUSINESS and tourism leaders in Waterford are furious with the country’s tourist agencies after the city was omitted from a map on the Meet in Ireland website.

WETRAVEL2, an offshoot of Topflight, are promoting a range of long-haul destinations for the coming year.

Tourism chiefs hit back today after Australians were advised by their government to beware of the dissident republican threat in the North.

Tourism could contribute £1bn to the North's economy by 2020.

WILD, rugged and beautiful, Ireland’s islands are a much needed detox from the stresses of modern-day life, and living proof that the best things in life are free.

THE Clarion Hotel in Sligo realises that not all families are exactly the same, and if you’re a single parent trying to get away with the kids for a few days the costs can soar with usual room rates applying for two people sharing.

AS walking becomes an increasingly popular past-time, opening up the countryside been a key issue for lovers of the outdoors.

A £5m (€5.8m) upgrade for the Park Avenue Hotel in east Belfast paid dividends when it was announced today it had achieved four-star status.

IRISH shoppers spent almost €57 million in the North last year, an increase of 16% on the previous year.

TRAILFINDERS has an exclusive Oz offer with Etihad Airways for €699 per person, with all taxes, charges and a free Australian Tourist Visa (Electronic Travel Authority, valid for a three-month stay; normal cost, €22).

AER LINGUS new route from Cork to Lisbon has already had an encouraging start, with a high profile launch last week, good forward bookings and Portugal’s tourism body rowing in behind the service.

THE Malév summer timetable features three new cities and additional services on established routes.

The North is bucking the economic trend because of bargain-hunting visitors from the Republic, the Tourist Board said today.

A leading hotelier was today named as the new chairman of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB).

The North must use the crash in the value of the pound against the euro and dollar to boost visitor numbers, Tourism Minister Arlene Foster said today.

Loyaltybuild, an Irish-owned Loyalty Marketing Company headquartered in Ennis, employing 70 people, has started a partnership with Nordea Bank in Finland.

More than a dozen police officers were injured during violent clashes in the North early today.

CORK-BASED tour operator Travel Focus is running a South African tour for photographic enthusiasts, starting on August 30.

ETIHAD Airways has given the Irish long haul market another boost by deciding to increase its service from Dublin to Abu Dhabi to a daily operation, just months after introducing Dublin to its route network.

CORK-based Shandon Travel has expanded its tailor-made worldwide travel offers with a huge increase in programmes to India and South America.

A cross-border tourism agency must dramatically improve the way it markets the North abroad as a holiday destination, ministers on both sides of the border were urged today.

FAILTE Ireland’s top man in Northern Ireland is standing down.

THOUSANDS of Irish people make an annual pre-Christmas shopping pilgrimage. This year, Sunway Travel are selling packages to the USA and Canada.

LIFE may begin at 66, especially now with the new Senior Smart Pass allowing free travel to, from and all around Northern Ireland.

BELFAST boasts a shopping precinct to rival many of the fashionable cities in Europe, and tourism authorities are hoping to take advantage of the city’s Fashion Week, conveniently timed just after St Patrick’s Day.

The North was tipped by Lonely Planet today as one of the “must-see” places to visit in 2007.

THE Northern Ireland Tourist Board is keen to attract family groups for mid-term and other short breaks this year.