Tourists to visit Ireland in record numbers

A RECORD number of people will visit Ireland this year, according to early indications.

Tourism Minister John O’Donoghue said feedback from the tourism sector so far this year was “extremely positive”. The minister yesterday declared himself optimistic that the target of recording a 5% increase on last year’s record number of 6.3 million overseas tourists was achievable.

He particularly welcomed a large increase in the number of additional air routes into Ireland this year which had seen access capacity to continental Europe grow by 40% as well as a large number of extra flights from new and existing destinations serving both Britain and the US.