Around half of the 800 people arriving into Dublin Airport earlier this week were coming from holiday destinations.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin told his Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party colleagues last night that people will face tougher sanctions for travelling for holidays.
It comes as short-stay visits into Ireland are now temporarily banned from 11 South American countries and South Africa.
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Visa-free travel ended at midnight and will remain until March 5th.
But Pat Dawson from the Irish Travel Agents Association claims international travel is not the big issue:
