Visitor numbers to Dublin will increase by 15 per cent on 1997 and reach a record three million this year according to the Dublin Chamber of Commerce which has based its estimate on market figures for the first quarter compared to the same period last year.

"Accompanying this level of visitors is an attendant spend of over £500 million in the city and region," the chamber stated. Dublin tour companies have experienced a 60 per cent increase in city tour numbers, the chamber noted, while Aer Rianta estimates that incoming traffic at the airport will increase by 13 per cent, having seen over one million passengers arriving there for the past six consecutive months.