More than 1.84 million people travelled to Ireland between September and November, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), up 6.4 per cent on the same period last year.
More than three-quarters of these trips were made by people living in other European countries, with Britain making up almost half of all visits.
Trips by North American residents to Ireland increased by 19 per cent to 343,100, while trips by residents from Britain increased by 6 per cent to 776,700. Trips by residents of European countries other than Britain increased by 3 per cent to 617,800.
The latest figures mean that over seven million people travelled to Ireland between January and November - 558,700 (8.6 per cent) more than in the same period in 2013.
The number of overseas trips taken by Irish residents between September and November was also up year on year. Almost 1.65 million people went abroad during the three-month period, up 8.4 per cent on last year.
Between January and November, more than 6.1 million Irish residents went abroad, up 2 per cent on the same period last year.
Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Paschal Donohoe said he will publish a tourism policy statement in the new year "which will prioritise investment to maximise the return from tourism in the medium to long term."
“The tourism sector supports almost 140,000 jobs in the accommodation and food sector alone and overall employment in tourism is estimated to be in the region of 200,000,” Mr Donohue said.