The ITAA’s quarterly survey revealed that 65% saw an upturn in business in the January-March period, compared with the same three months in 2017. The association has 100 member companies covering 140 branches across Ireland. Among these, 5% said they had seen an increase in business of more than 20%.

The survey also looked at the emerging trends for 2018, with more than 30% of agents naming cruise as a key trend and 22% saying adventure holidays had seen a surge in popularity. Theme park holidays and all-inclusive holidays were also mentioned as growing trends.

Spain was once again voted Ireland’s top destination, with 60% of agents naming it as their most popular for summer 2018. Last year, the country reached a milestone of two million Irish visitors.

Meanwhile, the ITAA has elected Cassidy Travel’s John Spollen as president. He is responsible for marketing, strategy and direction at the agency, which has eight branches around the Dublin area.

“This quarter’s survey shows, once again, that the Irish travel industry is continuing to prosper,” he said. “The continued success of our industry has been due to the collective ability of travel agents, tour operators and suppliers to evolve and meet the changing marketplace.

“There are a number of challenges facing us over the next two years, including GDPR [the General Data Protection Regulation], the EU package holiday directive, and of course Brexit. However, there are also big opportunities for the travel trade as more destinations and products come on stream, the economy continues to grow and consumers take more and more holidays each year.”

The ITAA’s annual conference will be held in Philadelphia in November. The city has just gained a new year-round Aer Lingus link with Dublin.

ITAA chief executive Pat Dawson said: “This will be the first time the [conference] has taken place outside Europe and we expect it to sell out quickly.”

The three-day event, from November 28, will be held at the Pennsylvania Convention Centre, with accommodation at the Marriott Philadelphia.