Rip-off reply: in just six months 2.5m went abroad

IRISH people are voting with their feet when it comes to rip-off Ireland - almost 2.5 million people travelled overseas in the first six months of 2004, an annual increase of over 9%.

But our high prices don't seem to be deterring foreign visitors, a record number visited here in the first six months of 2004.

The figures, released by the Central Statistics Office yesterday, were published on the same day as the latest Consumer Price Index, which showed the annual inflation rate rose from 2.3% in June to 2.7% in July.