Ireland is one of North America's favourite travel destinations

Ireland has been named as one of the most popular destinations in the world by luxury travel network Virtuoso.
Virtuoso analysed travel transactions totalling $35billion from the US and Canada to find out where travellers were planning to visit this summer.
Ireland came in sixth place, meaning it is one of the most popular holiday destinations for American and Canadians.
The study found that the most money was spent on trips to Italy, with the UK coming in second and France in third.
Spain and the Netherlands were the only other two countries to finish ahead of Ireland, meaning we are now the sixth most popular holiday destination for Americans and Canadians – in terms of money spent.
Germany, South Africa, Greece and Israel were the other countries that made up the top ten.
Virtuoso is the travel company that named Ashford Castle as the best hotel in the world in 2015 so they clearly recognise Ireland is a beautiful place and great destination for tourists. Their report said: “Travellers visiting Ireland are flocking to Dublin and Galway in particular, along with County Laois in the centre of the country.”
Tourism Ireland are delighted with the news. Spokesperson Alison Metcalfe said: “It’s another well-deserved accolade, which provides Tourism Ireland with a great hook to continue to promote the island of Ireland as a ‘must visit’ destination for American and Canadian travellers.”
The tourism industry is a key part of the Irish economy and is growing year on year. Last year saw the country welcome more visitors from overseas than ever before, and the first quarter of 2016 has already seen a 24% increase in tourists from North America.
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