Official figures from the Central Statistics Office show strong growth in travel into and out of Ireland last year.
The number of trips to Ireland by overseas visitors rose by 10% to 7.7 million, while the number of trips made by Irish people abroad grew by 12% to 6.85 million.
Irish people travelling abroad spent €5.3 billion last year, outstripping earnings from visits to Ireland, which totalled just under €4.7 billion.
The number of visits to Ireland from continental Europe rose by 19%, while the figure for North America was up 11%. The number of visits made to Ireland on cross-channel air routes was up 8%, but the figure for cross-channel sea routes dropped 9%.
The number of bednights spent in Ireland by overseas visitors rose by 12% from 2005. A breakdown showed that bednights in hostels grew by 18%, while guesthouses or B&Bs were up 6%.
For Irish people travelling abroad, trips on continental European routes jumped by 21% while transatlantic routes were up 8%. The figures for both air and sea cross-channel trips were also higher.
