THE TOTAL NUMBER of trips to Ireland increased by 13.5% this year, according to new figures released today by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

Just under 1.8 million inbound trips were made between February and April – over 210,000 more than the same three-month period in 2014.

Britain remains Ireland’s largest market for overseas tourism, with trips by Great Britain residents up another 9.8% so far this  year.

There was a 14.7% increase in trips by visitors from other European nations and a 20.2% jump in the number of trips made by people from the US.

Tourism has become a key plank of the Government’s plan to revive the Irish economy.

CSO.ie CSO.ie

There was also a significant rise in the number of overseas trips made by Irish residents this year.

Some 1.5 million outbound trips were recorded between February and April, an increase of 8.2% since last year.

In a statement to TheJournal.ie, Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said the latest figures “represent a stunning start to the year.”

They “very much reflect the sentiment expressed by our tourism industry partners overseas, including tour operators and carriers, as well as tourism businesses here at home,” he added.

Tourism Ireland is aiming to bring a total of 7.74 million visitors to Ireland in 2015, delivering close to €4 billion to the Irish economy.

READ: Ireland already being promoted as tourist destination for same-sex couples to get hitched >

READ: Tourism Ireland wants to surpass visitor records in 2015 … here’s how >

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