The number of Irish tourists traveling internationally grew by 22 per cent in the two years to 2002, according to new figures released today by the Central Statistics Office.
Irish people made 4.59 million international journeys in 2002 compared with 3.76 million two years earlier. Domestic travel also increased although at a slower rate. In 2002 more than 6.45 million domestic journeys were made, up 17.8 per cent on the number for 2000.
According to the CSO, there were 2.8 million domestic holiday trips taken in 2002 representing about 44 per cent of all domestic trips.
In each of the three years to 2002 the south west has been the most popular destination accounting for 22 per cent of trips over that time.
Irish people made 3.8 million visits to EU countries in 2002, which accounted for 83 per cent of all international trips.
The second most popular destination was North America. The average length of stay for both domestic and international visitors declined in 2001 and 2002.
For domestic travel the average length of stay was 3.4 nights in 2002, down from 2.8 in 2000; international travellers spent an average of 8.8 nights away in 20002, down from 9.4 in 2000.