Visiting Ireland - Good times for tourism

AMID the pall of gloom that threatens to overwhelm the nation, it is indeed heartening to hear the tourism sector blowing its trumpet.

According to industry leaders, the foundations have been laid for a return to record overseas visitor numbers by 2015.

Given the importance of tourism to the Irish economy, North and South, every visitor that comes here in the present climate is a welcome bonus. If the latest predictions are right, some eight million visitors are expected to visit the island of Ireland in 2012 and the target for 2015 is nine million.

As Tourism Minister Leo Varadkar succinctly put it yesterday, people come to Ireland, not for the economy but for its cultural and scenic qualities. Considering its size, it makes a great deal of sense for the industry to view the island as an overall package, especially when it comes to selling Ireland of the Welcomes.