Visitor numbers from north America fell 10 per cent to 815,000 last year, according to figures released today by the Irish Hotels' Federation (IHF).
However, the negative effects of such a trend were offset by increases in British and European visitor figures of 9 per cent (to 3.7 million) and 3 per cent (to 1.4 million) respectively; "home holidays" increased by 12 per cent.
There were an estimated six million visitors to Ireland last year, a 2 per cent rise on 2001. But the corresponding hotel room nights dropped by 3 per cent over the same period. In total, the industry generated eur 5.6 billion worth of revenue, compared to eur 4.96 billion generated in 2001.
The federation's annual report blames "continued global economic unrest" for the downward trend in US visitors.
The US market is seen as the most lucrative of Ireland's travel and tourism industry. Hoteliers had aimed to offset the disastrous 2001 tourism figures, which saw a sharp drop in US visitors after the September 11th attacks.
Moreover, the outlook for 2003 is not good, according to IHF Chief Executive Mr John Power. "Early market indicators are worrying, particularly the recent major slowdown of US bookings due to the threat of war," he said.
The IHF, which represents hotel and guesthouse owners throughout the country, is holding its annual conference in Galway today and tomorrow.