Tourism Ireland today launched plans to bring 7.7 million tourists to the country - both in the north and south - next year.
The group said it wanted visitor numbers to increase by 4.4 per cent in 2004.
To do this an aggressive marketing campaign will be launched in Britain, France, Germany and the United States, which accounted for 82 per cent of the tourists visiting Ireland in 2002.
Next year over €31 million - the largest allocation yet under the Tourism Marketing Fund - will be spent on promoting Ireland as a holiday destination.
The all-Ireland agency announced a growth in tourist traffic of 4.4 per cent this year, despite industry setbacks such as Sars and the war in Iraq.
Chief executive Mr Paul O'Toole said the performance in terms of the number of people coming to Ireland had definitely improved, particularly in the second half of the year.
"We're pleased because it does show signs of recovery and by international standards Ireland is doing well," he said.
PA