Tourist numbers expected to rise

Bord Failte and Tourism Ireland have announced that they expect a 5% increase in tourists visiting Ireland next year.

The two bodies have also launched a marketing plan for 2003 which will aim to attract tourists from Germany, Britain and France.

Tourism Minister John O'Donoghue said the restoration of the Baltimore-Washington route will also return the sector to the position it was in in 2000, a record year for the Irish tourism industry.