Bord Fβilte has been voted the top tourist/destination board by British travel agents at the prestigious Travel Trade Gazette (TTG) Awards.

The awards have been running since 1983 and involve consumers, travel agents and specialist judging panels in recognising excellence in the industry.

It is the first time that Bord Fβilte has won the award.

British visitors represent 55.8 per cent of all overseas visitors to Ireland. Last year, there were almost 3.5 million British visitors to Ireland, worth £873 million (€1.1 billion) to the economy.

During the past number of years, Bord Fβilte has increased its activities in Britain.

This year, it expanded into online and internet advertising, enhanced its direct marketing strategy and set up its A Taste of Ireland campaign.