Minister upbeat about tourism figures

Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism welcomed the latest tourism figures published by the Central Statistics Office for the first quarter of 2003.

Commenting on the tourism industry the he said: "These figures represent a good performance by Irish tourism in a volatile marketplace."

The minister also said that improvements in air access, a more flexible approach to the deployment of marketing funds and maintenance of an active presence in key markets this year would keep Ireland well-placed to benefit from the up-turn in the international market for the remainder of the year.

"As long as the sector maintains competitiveness, Irish tourism can continue to win good tourism business," said Minister O'Donoghue.