By Lizzie Spisak

Within recent years, the Republic of Ireland has seen a huge surge in tourism. In 2015 alone tourists brought 6 billion euros ($6.7 billion) to the nation – 16 percent more than the previous year, according to Failte Ireland, the country’s national tourism authority. So this brings the question: What brings tourists to Ireland?

Well, there are really a number of factors. In America, many people with Irish ancestry feel a prideful connection to their homeland, so naturally, they want to go visit and learn about their history.

Another factor is Ireland’s booming economy as of late. The financial recession across the globe in 2008 caused many countries deep suffering, and many have only recently started to prosper again. Irish cities have seen an abundance of construction in the past couple years. Money is being poured into these cities to draw in tourists and make life more convenient for the natives.

However, one Irish café owner, Jess Olohan of Kells, believes that little towns are not receiving their share of the pot.

“A lot of work and money goes into selling some of the bigger areas and then some of the smaller ones are left a weenie bit neglected,” she said.

While this may be true, there could be solid reasoning behind this so-called neglect: Larger cities draw in more tourists and, as a result, have more needs. Larger cities have more infrastructure to take care of, as well as older buildings that may need refurbished.

Failte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority, has statistics that show more people visited Dublin than any other popular tourist destination in Ireland. For example, 1.9 million people from mainland Europe visited Dublin in 2015 and brought in 657 million euros ($734.81 million).

“The bigger places have more to offer than smaller country towns,” Joseph Murph of Dublin said. “There are only so many cows to see in the country. Every night in Dublin is a new experience.”

“There are only so many cows to see in the country. Every night in Dublin is a new experience.”

While many people may like the bigger cities and their historic buildings, fast-paced life is not for everyone. Some tourists of Ireland enjoy seeing the more scenic aspect of the country. There are the Cliffs of Moher and the Giant’s Causeway. There are also historic castles like Blarney and Bunratty that offer fun attractions and activities. There is also Galway which has a beautiful bay as well as a large shopping and dining area.

What the Point Park group learned is that when visitors go in Ireland there are two things that are certain: The people will be friendly and entertaining, and the food will be delicious. Irish people are some of the nicest people you will ever meet and are always down for a good time. If you are lost and need direction, they will stop what they are doing and not only tell you your way back but also will most likely show you the way. They are also always willing to have a conversation with you, regardless of the topic. They also have really good food and recipes that date back centuries, and everything comes with some type of potato.