Relaxation of controls imposed to counter foot-and-mouth disease helped boost tourism in Ireland in May, said a survey published today.
The Purchasing Managers' Services Index for May, compiled by Dublin's NCB Stockbrokers, recorded a business activity indicator of 52.6, signalling growth - with the travel, tourism and leisure sectors making a particularly strong contribution.
"The relaxation of foot-and-mouth disease restrictions had a noticeably positive impact on services sector activity in May, especially in tourism," said NCB chief economist Mr Dermot O'Brien.
Optimism about the future remains high across services industries, although the degree of optimism slipped a little in the technology sector last month.
The figures are expressed as a diffusion index, which means a number above 50.0 is a rise on the previous month and below 50.0 a fall.
May's figure of 52.6 for the business activity index marks a return to positive territory after the 49.8 figure for April - the first contraction since the survey began a year ago.
The business confidence index was 72.6, compared with 72.3 in April.