asked the Minister for Tourism and Transport the approximate number of tourists who have visited the country this year in each of the following categories: (1) American, (2) European, and (3) British; the way in which these figures compare with the same period for last year; and if he has any information to indicate that there will be an overall increase in tourism this year.
Written Answers. - Visitor Numbers.
71.
There are no official statistics available for the number of tourists who visited Ireland to date in 1988. However, preliminary indications from our main carriers suggest that traffic to date is consistent with the achievement of a 15 per cent or 300,000 increase in visitor numbers. This is Bord Fáilte's target for 1988.