Travel agents experienced a 30% surge in bookings as record numbers thronged the annual Holiday World Show in Dublin.

Organisers said more than 50,000 people attended the event, which took place in the RDS in Dublin at the weekend the highest number of people ever to attend.

The annual event featured over 1,000 travel experts from Ireland and abroad offering advice and a range of show only deals.

CEO of the Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA) Pat Dawson said the level of enquiries was so large that extra staff had be drafted in to cope with demand.

A number of our member travel agents exhibited at the show, and by all accounts, it was a stellar event. Our agents have reported up to 30% increases in bookings at this years show, and the level of enquiries meant that in some cases additional staff had to be drafted in to deal with the demand.

The association is also reporting a 10% increase in business at travel agents across the country.

Mr Dawson said the record attendance was a sign a booming travel industry here, which employs some 5,000 people and generated a turnover of 1.5bn last year.

Queues were out the door of the RDS and the attendees were engaged in a way that we havent seen in years.

We think the popularity of the 2015 show can be attributed to new buoyancy prevalent in the market and the great range of holidays available to book at the exhibition, the new airline routes for 2015 definitely have people talking.

Organisers said the record turnout for the show indicated the continued appetite among Irish holidaymakers for budget-conscious holiday options.

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Record numbers visit holiday show