A new bid to make tourists aware of the threat of crime has been launched by the gardaí and the Tourist Victim Support Service.
The gardaí has linked-up with the support service to produce and circulate a guide, which comes in leaflet and credit-card size form.
It is in response to research carried out by the Tourism Research Centre which found that two-thirds of visitors to Ireland believed they should have been given better advice on crime and safety upon arrival.
Ms Lisa Kennedy, co-ordinator of the support service, said the guide, published in English, French, Italian and Spanish, and titled Safety Tips for Tourists, was available from this weekend at all airports, ferry ports, car hire outlets and police stations.
She added: "It contains practical advice for tourists on the care of belongings, personal safety and car security. Most of it is common-sense advice, applicable to anyone interested in personal safety.
"But there are also tips that could prove invaluable to foreign visitors - such as the fact that there is no legal requirement to carry one's passport or ID.
Ms Kennedy said most of the tourists her service helped had been victims of larcenies, and while few had experienced actual violence, there had been instances of people being held at knife or syringe-point.
She reported: "For most there is not a huge monetary loss - but there's a big inconvenience. A lot come whose hired-car or own car has been broken into and everything is taken - tickets, passports, luggage.
"We would advise them not to go out with large amounts of money or valuable jewellery and to always park in supervised car parks."
Ms Kennedy said that of the five to six million people who make holiday trips to Ireland each year, about 3,000 experienced crime and 96 per cent of them said they would still recommend the country as a tourist destination.