Official figures show that the number of trips by foreign visitors to Ireland in the third quarter of 2007 was just under 2.65 million, an increase of 6% from a year earlier.
The number of Irish trips abroad jumped by 10% in the same period to 2.36 million. Overall, spending by Irish people abroad was €331m higher than earnings from foreign visitors.
A breakdown of foreign visits showed a 2% fall in trips from North America, an increase of 2% from Britain and a 16% rise from other European countries.
For Irish people travelling abroad, transatlantic routes showed 21% growth and trips on continental European routes were up 14%. But the numbers travelling on cross-channel sea routes dropped 16%.
