Have we too many tourists?

Barring an unforeseen calamity in the world, 2018 should be another boom year for tourism in Ireland, following last year’s record 10.6m visitors.

However, with some of our more popular destinations being chronically overcrowded in peak season, serious questions have to be asked about how tourism is managed here. Is it all about numbers and are we going down the road of mass tourism?

Natural scenery is one of the main reasons tourists come to this country, surveys regularly show. However, there’s glaring evidence of damage to our beautiful, wild environment because of overuse for hillwalking and other recreational activities. Scarred landscapes reflect a lack of protection for mountains and uplands. And need we mention illegal burning! Traffic congestion is another critical issue and, at this stage, is turning people away from places such as Glendalough, in Co Wicklow, and the Cliffs of Moher, Co Clare.