OVER 1.4 MILLION trips were made by Irish residents to Great Britain in the first nine months of 2014, keeping it as Ireland’s most popular destination.
However, the number of people heading to the UK was down by 2.5% overall in the year up to September, according to new figures from the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation.
Spain, the nation’s second-favourite destination, also saw a decline in visitors, with 4% fewer people heading to sunny Spain on holiday.
The largest growth in visitors was to North America, with 281,000 heading to the US and Canada, up 14% on the same period of 2013.
At home, domestic expenditure on tourism rose by 4.4% to €1.1 billion, with trips up 3% to 5.7 million.
The number of business trips was up 21%, while there were 4% fewer trips to visit friends and relatives.
:<LvlThe average length of stay for short trips remained unchanged at 1.8 nights, with longer trips shortening marginally to an average of 7.2 nights.
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