An intensive campaign of marketing Ireland overseas last autumn and winter has been cited as a key factor in the recent surge in tourism from Europe.
The latest Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures show a 7 per cent increase in the number of overseas trips to Ireland last November, compared to the same month in 2004. Short-haul markets accounted for most of the growth with numbers from Europe up by 33 per cent.
The figures indicate that the overall increase in tourism was in the order of 5 per cent last year. Official end-of-year figures will be released by the CSO next month.
While tourism from Britain and Europe was up, trips to Ireland by residents of North America fell by 17,900 in the first 11 months of 2005. Moreover, trips by visitors from other areas fell by 25,000 compared with January to November 2004.
