Trips to Ireland by overseas visitors are up 10.3% for the first half of 2014, according to CSO figures.

The figures show a steady gain compared to the same period in 2013, with over 3,469,100 overseas visitors recorded by the Central Statistics Office between January and June (inclusive).

The latest figures on Overseas Travel show:

– Visits from Mainland Europe grew by 6pc, to over 1,218,100 visits

– North America registered an increase of 10.6pc (over 574,500 visits)

– Visits from Great Britain were up by 13.6pc (1,473,200 visits)

– Visits from the rest of the world were up 13.6pc over 203,300 visits

Growth from Britain will be seen as particularly good news. The UK is Ireland’s single most important inbound tourism market, and figures had fallen off drastically in recent years.

To read more, please click HERE.