British tourist numbers on rise

Ireland is welcoming more British tourists but fewer Americans, latest tourism figures reveal.

During the three months from last November to January 2012, nearly 1.2m trips were made to Ireland — a rise of 22,800 or 1.9% on the same period the previous year.

A breakdown of the Central Statistics Office figures shows a 4.7% jump in visits from Britain, up to 580,800.