The number of Chinese at Irish colleges is expected to rise sharply, giving a further boost to the billion-euro business of educating overseas students.
At an education fair in Beijing, representatives from 23 Irish universities, technology institutes, higher education colleges and English language schools said there was a growing awareness of Ireland in the world's most populous country.
While language training has long been the main attraction for Chinese students to Ireland, Mr John Lynch, chief executive of International Education Board Ireland, said higher education was increasingly important.
"The market is growing - not including Europe, China is third biggest for the number of students coming and it's soon to be second," Mr Lynch said.
"The number of Chinese travelling to Ireland is not going to hit European levels, because you're not going to get that many visas. But in terms of trade this is very significant for Ireland."
The Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) signed a landmark deal establishing two masters degrees in hospitality and tourism with Beijing's prestigious Tsinghua University.
Mr Kieran Taaffe, dean of international students at the DIT, said the course would involve teachers from the College of Catering in Cathal Brugha Street teaching in Tsinghua in the first year, with 60 students studying in Ireland for the second year.
"We are interested in China because globalisation has exploded in the last five years and we see ourselves as an Irish educational institute on a world stage," said Mr Taaffe.
"There is also the realisation that our graduates must interact with China and it is important that they should be educated side by side. The third reason we're interested in China is financial," Mr Taaffe said.
Higher education for foreign students is worth €250 million a year, while the language school sector is worth up to €600 million a year. "There are some we don't get in the statistics so I'd say we're not far off a billion euros," Mr Lynch said.
There are 1,800 Chinese students registered in higher education in Ireland and 11,000 in language schools.
Most of the students come from the coastal city of Dalian in north-eastern China, although the numbers from Beijing and Shanghai are growing.
"There are fewer applications than there used to be but a higher proportion of visas approved as the message gets out to the agents," said Mr Lynch.
The establishment of a designated visa office in Beijing meant the process of students getting permission to travel to Ireland had become more streamlined.
Mr Edward Kearns, Portobello College/Institute of Education, said interest was high. "We have about 200 students from China."
