The number of overseas visitors to Ireland between June and August was almost 10 per cent higher than last year, the Central Statistics Office has said.

A total of 2.48 million people visited the State during the period, an increase of 9.7 per cent.

The number of visitors from North American increased by 18 per cent to 516,700 in the period, while visits from Britain increased by 3.5 per cent to 910,500. There was a rise of 11.2 per cent in the number of European visitors, excluding Britain, to 883,700.

The CSO said a total of 5.2 million people visited the State between January and August, an increase of 9.4 per cent on the same period last year.

Tourism Ireland chief executive Niall Gibbons said he was "delighted" with the figures.

"I am particularly pleased to see visitor numbers from Great Britain, our largest market, increasing by 9 per cent for the first eight months," said Mr Gibbons, adding that it was set to be a record year for tourism from North America.

Overseas visitors spent an estimated €1.535 billion in the State in the first half of this year, up €123 million on the same period last year, the CSO said.

The figures also suggest Irish people are starting to go on holidays in greater numbers, with the CSO reporting 2.18 million overseas trips by Irish residents in the summer months, up 5.9 per cent on last year.

The Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) said its barometer of the industry suggested that 73 per cent of hoteliers had hired additional staff this year, and that 87 per cent of hotels and guesthouses reported increased in business this year.

It said 83 per cent of hotel owners planned to increase their level of investment in refurbishment projects over the next 12 months.