Spain is still the top holiday spot for the Irish

Spain remains the destination of choice for Irish holidaymakers, but inbound tourism figures reveal the visitor appeal of Ireland continues to break records.

Central Statistics Office numbers show an increase of 10.9% in overseas visits to Ireland for 2016 compared to 2015. A record-breaking 9.5m tourists visited Ireland over a 12-month period.

A quarterly survey by the Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA) released on the opening day of the Holiday World Show in Dublin showed 65% of travel agents found Spain was their most popular destination last year, followed by Portugal and the US.