Tourism sector says it is facing challenging 2008

IRISH tourism is facing a particularly challenging new year with rising oil prices and the weak dollar, the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation has warned.

A record number of overseas visitors came to Ireland this year but the growth rate was at “a more modest pace” than in previous years, said confederation chairman Dick Bourke.

While the outlook was promising, he said 2008 may be more fraught with danger than was usually the case because of the flux in global financial markets, a record oil price, worrying dollar weakness and recurring geopolitical tensions.