Increasing numbers of Irish people are choosing to holiday at home, according to new figures released by the Central Statistics Office today.
There was a 9.5 per cent increase in the number of domestic trips taken in the first quarter of this year and a 7 per cent increase in expenditure on internal travel, compared to the same period last year.
The number of foreign visitors to the country also grew by 7 per cent in the first three months of 2004.
The Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism, Mr O'Donoghue, said the data showed the home holiday market was performing well against stiff international competition.
"Allied with the growth of 7 per cent in the number of overseas visitors to Ireland in the first four months of this year, these figures confirm that the tourism industry is meeting the competitive challenges of a marketplace which is increasingly value-for-money conscious, both at home and abroad," he said.
Mr O'Donoghue said Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland were rolling out a comprehensive range of programmes backed by an Exchequer investment of over €110 million.
"The industry can build on this early momentum only by maintaining its focus on getting the product right, getting the message out and giving real value for money."