The number of Irish people holidaying abroad has surpassed the three million mark for the first time, according to the Central Statistics Office.
According to the 2004 figures for tourism and travel, there has been a large increase in the numbers travelling to continental Europe and the United States and Canada.
More than 300,000 additional Irish people travelled to mainland Europe last year compared with 2003, and 50,000 more to North America.
The figures also reveal that the number of holiday visits to Ireland rose by almost 2.5% last year, while the total number of overseas visitors rose by 3%.
According to the CSO, some 6.5 million trips were made to Ireland. However, the average length of visits has decreased significantly.
