The number of trips made to Ireland fell by 2.2 per cent last year, as fewer visitors arrived from Britain and the United States.
Visits from Britain fell 4 per cent to 3,872,400 last year, while trips from the United States fell 6.4 per cent to 1,004,600
For the first time in 18 years, there were more trips overseas from Ireland than into the country, as Irish residents made 7,877,400 overseas trips during the year - a 2.1 per cent increase on 2007 - compared to 7,839,000 trips to Ireland.
However, December saw a significant drop in the number of people taking overseas trips from Ireland, with the number falling 11.3 per cent to 491,100 compared to a year earlier. Visits to Ireland fell by 3.7 per cent to 503,900 in the same month. This drop was mainly attributed to a 6.7 per cent decline in the number of visits from other European countries.
During the same period, visits from Britain fell 1.1 per cent to 266,000, and North American visits slipped 8.7 per cent to 54,300.
Earlier today, Ryanair warned the Government's proposed €10 tax on tourists due to be imposed from March 30th would help "decimate" traffic and tourism through Dublin airport.
"The decision by the Irish Government to introduce a flat rate €10 tourist tax from April is nothing less than 'tourism suicide'," said Ryanair chief Michael O'Leary.
