Virtuoso has revealed its list of “hottest” destinations for the upcoming 2016 summer travels this season – and Ireland is at number six on the list and number 1 for Americans and Canadians.

The survey shows that European destinations are top of the list for the majority of upscale American and Canadian travellers this summer – with Italy, the UK, France, Spain and the Netherlands ahead of Ireland in the top ten. Virtuoso sourced data from its United States and Canadian-based travel agency members – with a staggering turnover of $35 billion – and reflects future travel for the summer of 2016.

The List of Countries are as follows:

1. Italy

2. United Kingdom

3. France

4. Spain

5. Netherlands

6. Ireland

7. Germany

8. South Africa

9. Greece

10. Israel

Virtuoso’s data states that Irish bookings are up 58%, with travellers flooding into Dublin and Galway in particular.

Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s Head of North America, said, “Virtuoso is one of the travel industry’s best luxury networks, so the inclusion of Ireland at number six in this list is great news indeed. It’s another well-deserved accolade, which provides Tourism Ireland with a great hook to continue to promote the island of Ireland as a ‘must visit’ destination for American and Canadian travellers.

“2015 was another record-breaking year for Irish tourism from the United States and Canada; and the outlook for this year is also positive, with the most recent CSO figures for Q1 showing growth of +24.5% in visitors from North America. We are undertaking an extensive program of promotions throughout 2016, to keep the momentum growing and building for the future.”

Tourism is the island of Ireland’s largest indigenous industry; responsible for more than 4% of GDP in the Republic of Ireland and employing approximately 200,000 people. In 2015 Ireland welcomed more than 9.3 million overseas visitors to Ireland, delivering revenue of about €4.7 billion.