Ireland has cast off its “rip-off Republic” image as a holiday destination with more overseas visitors rating it as good value for money.

Last year only 5 per cent of visitors found Ireland to be “poor” value for money compared to 41 per cent in 2007, while 54 per cent of visitors said they found “good” or “very good” value here – up from 51 per cent in 2013.

Fáilte Ireland’s Visitor Attitudes Survey 2014 was conducted among almost 1,500 overseas holidaymakers to Ireland during the 2014 season.

Irish people and our scenery remain key attractions for overseas holidaymakers, according to the survey.

When asked about their overall opinion of their Irish holiday, 55 per cent of respondents said their trip met all their expectations and a further 44 per cent said their holiday exceeded all expectations.

Drawbacks

The top six reasons cited for a holiday exceeding expectations were: Irish people, scenery, history and culture, the weather being better than expected and food.

The drawbacks for visitors was the cost of drinks and food, expensive souvenirs, poor signposting and conditions on roads.

Almost six in 10 (57 per cent) of those surveyed said they would “definitely return” within the next few years – almost half of these within the next year.

Seven out of 10 (69 per cent) said they would “definitely recommend” an Irish holiday to friends and family, rising to more than eight out of 10 (81 per cent) for North Americans.

The most important source for choosing and planning holidays here was the internet, particularly for European holidaymakers.

It was less important as a source of inspiration for British holidaymakers, with just over half claiming the internet influenced their decision to choose Ireland for a holiday.