Visiting Ireland?
Tourism is a very important industry for Ireland.
Last year, approximately 7.6 million tourists visited the island of Ireland contributing about €3.7 billion to the economy and helping to sustain 240,000 jobs in communities across the island.
Getting to Ireland has never been easier with new air routes and additional seat capacity available in 2014 from the US and Canada, from mainland Europe and Great Britain and from long haul markets via the Gulf.
Ireland's main tourist attractions include its rich cultural heritage, scenery, friendly people and relaxed way of life. It is also a popular location for sporting enthusiasts with numerous golf courses in addition to fishing, cycling, riding, water sports and other activities.
Among the highlights in 2014 were the 'Grand Partenza' or 'Big Start' of the famous Giro d'Italia cycle race which brought more than 200 of the world's top professional cyclists to Belfast, Armagh and Dublin in May and the Croke Park Classic, when the University of Central Florida took on Penn State, bringing all the razzmatazz of their college football season opener to Dublin.
You can find the experience that's just waiting for you here.
The following links can also provide you with more information on Ireland as a tourist destination:
If you want to learn more about Ireland, you can read Ireland in Brief in English.