The number of visitors to Ireland hit a new record last year, despite continued concerns about value for money, Fáilte Ireland has said.
Tourist figures are continuing to climb, growing 5 per cent in 2005 to reach 6.7 million, the tourism development body revealed.
While value for money when eating out and drinking still attracts criticism, there has been a change, with a slight improvement in visitors rating of value for money in 2005 - the first since 2001.
Most visitors are now travelling from continental Europe, particularly Germany and Scandinavia. The most dramatic increase in visitors came from the EU accession states, which saw almost 50 per cent growth in tourist numbers. The UK also showed some growth, with 3 per cent more visitors taking holidays in Ireland. Domestic tourism is also still rising, achieving 51 per cent growth in revenue since 2000.
However, the US and other long-haul markets were disappointing.
"Record visitor numbers in 2005 are a cause for satisfaction, but not for complacency," said Gillian Bowler, chairwoman of Fáilte Ireland. ""The tourism sector is performing well as a whole, but individual businesses, sectors and areas are finding the going tougher."
Overall, tourism now accounts for 3.7 per cent of Ireland's GNP.