Overall, 11.2m visitors from abroad landed on Irish shores over the past 12 months, in what proved to be a “mixed bag” of a year, according to the body’s chief executive, Niall Gibbons.

Overseas tourists do not perceive Ireland as a rip-off destination but tourism bosses warn that the industry must provide value for money to achieve ambitious growth targets.

The number of trips to Ireland by overseas visitors increased by 2.1% in September, compared to the same month last year.

Brexit is continuing to cast a shadow of uncertainty over Irish tourism, with a drop in the number of holidaymakers visiting the country in the month of July when compared to this time last year.

1.15 million people travelled to Ireland in July, a drop of 0.5% on the same time last year.

The Government has launched a €12 million campaign, the largest such campaign of its type ever conducted by Tourism Ireland, aimed at boosting the Irish industry over the course of the next three months.

Tourism Ireland has launched a €12m, multi-media autumn campaign to boost late-season travel to Ireland from around the world.

Transport minister Shane Ross has been urged to intervene in the plight of Cork Airport after Norwegian Airlines’ decision to discontinue the hub’s only transatlantic service.

The first half of the year has been a good one overall for Irish tourism with overseas visitors up 3.7% - but Brexit remains a challenge, with a drop in the numbers of British and mainland Europe visitors in May.

Tourism chiefs and politicians have plans to dye the River Liffey green for St Patrick’s Day next year, to mirror the attraction of Chicago’s waterways, which are turned an emerald shade every year.

Tourism Ireland CEO, Niall Gibbons, confirmed to the Irish Examiner that efforts are underway to turn Dublin's dividing river green, with help from city plumbing authorities in Chicago.

Spend by tourists fell by more than 4% in the first three months of the year despite visitors rising by 5.5%, CSO figures have revealed - as industry bosses admitted growth is not being felt evenly across the country.

Tourism Ireland has welcomed the growth of 6% in overseas visitors to Ireland in the first quarter of the year.

The Central Statistics Office have said the total number of trips to Ireland has increased in the first four months of 2019.

It is in a bid to increase the number of Chinese tourists to this country to 200,000 by 2025.

An extra 37,500 visitors from North America helped bolster a 5.5% increase in tourism in the first three months, while British visitors bucked the recent trend by increasing their numbers.

Last month, the number of trips to Ireland by overseas visitors rose 3% to 784,700.

The total number of trips to Ireland by overseas visitors rose by 2.7% to 590,700 last month - an increase of 15,400 compared to the same period last year.

The number of overseas visitors to Ireland reached a record 10.6 million last year, an increase of 6.9% over 2017.

The Guinness Storehouse retains its position as Ireland’s number one international visitor attraction by surpassing all previous records, with over 1.7 million guests passing through its doors in 2018.

The number of people travelling to Ireland from overseas increased over the months of July to September, when compared with the same period last year.

FESTIVALS and cultural events can help extend the tourism season as Fáilte Ireland seeks to help Irish hospitality providers continue the sector’s run of positive figures.

Britain's Prince Harry and his new wife Meghan Markle will visit Ireland in July.

Since filming STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS in Co. Kerry, the actor has been a great ambassador for Ireland.

2018, the Year of the Dog.

More than 300 stadiums, statues, museums and towers worldwide are set to go green to celebrate St Patrick’s Day next month.

Air France’s new daily flight from Cork to Paris will open up a vast long-haul network to Irish passengers and boost inbound tourist numbers to the south.

A record 10.6m tourists visited Ireland this year, with 2017 hailed as the greatest ever year for the sector.

You can’t say Tourism Ireland isn’t reaching out to new markets — its new publicity drive based around Star Wars: The Last Jedi has gone into space.

Ireland is expected to benefit from another strong rise in spending levels from inbound tourists this year.

The Central Statistics Office has reported that the number of tourists coming to Ireland has risen so far this year.

For the second year running, Ireland has triumphed at this year’s Group Leisure & Travel Awards in Britain, after being voted Best International Destination by thousands of readers of Group Leisure & Travel magazine.

Icelandair is launching a new year-round service from Dublin to Keflavík in Iceland.

Figures from the Central Statistics Office show more than 6.5 million tourists have come to Ireland so far this year.

Dublin Airport’s first ever direct route to the Asia-Pacific region will operate a new direct to Hong Kong service four times per week from next June with Cathay Pacific.

There has been a drop in the number of British tourists coming to Ireland.

Mythical scenes from the hit fantasy drama Game Of Thrones have been immortalised in a spectacular 77-metre tapestry.

Scenes from the hit fantasy drama Game Of Thrones have been immortalised in a spectacular 77m tapestry.

Stunning footage Skellig Michael and the Wild Atlantic Way can be seen in a brand new behind-the-scenes teaser video for Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Irish Tourism has expereinced an increase in the amount of tourists visiting the Emerald Isle.

Tourism Ireland’s Game of Thrones campaign has won gold and silver at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Cork Airport is heralding a new era in transatlantic travel thanks to Wow Air’s new direct service to Iceland.

Ireland has been ranked third — ahead of the likes of the US, Britain and France — in a league table of the best and most effectively marketed global tourist destinations.