High-flying profits are being landed in the Irish holiday business by the Thomson Travel group through its subsidiaries Budget Travel, the State's leading holiday brand, and American Holidays.

Thomson figures for 1999, disclosed yesterday, detail a 64 per cent surge in before-tax profits from its operations in the Republic to £8.2 million sterling (€13.43 million) on turnover up 52 per cent at £106 million. The number of holidays sold reached 300,000 with Budget Travel selling 260,000.

Growth in profits and turnover partly reflects full-year contributions in 1999 from American Holidays compared with four months in 1998 following Thomson's purchase of the Crystal Group, its parent.

Even so, Thomson directors say 1999 was "an outstanding year for our Irish operations".