Record year for tourism as 7.7 million visitors enjoy stay

OFFICIAL figures just published confirm 2006 as a record tourism year with 7.7 million visitors coming here.

But people in Ireland made 6.8 million trips abroad — more than four million of them to Britain. Trips abroad showed a 12% rise on 2005.

A British survey shows Ireland as the number one country for sports travel into Britain. It said 411,000 Irish visitors went there to watch or play sport last year.