Tourist chiefs aim for record visitors

TRAVEL chiefs say they have laid the foundations for a return to record overseas visitor numbers by 2015.

Tourism Ireland yesterday unveiled its plan to welcome more than nine million visitors to the island of Ireland by 2015, exceeding the record year of 2007.

Its chief executive Niall Gibbons said overseas visitor numbers to Ireland were expected to reach 7.4m at the year end, up 7% on 2010, and an increase of almost 10% for the Republic.