THE chairman of the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation (ITIC), which represents all sectors of the industry, has warned about the dangers of congestion and pressure, not only on infrastructure, but also on lifestyle and environment in Irish tourism.
Mr Eamonn McKeon said one example of infrastructure under pressure was the secondary roads in much visited scenic are as "which are a source of increasing complaint from tourism operators
It is understood that coach operators and car hire firms are particularly concerned about the state of such roads in western counties such as Kerry particularly the Ring of Kerry Donegal and west Galway.
Poor roads posing a serious barrier to tourism are "not acceptable in the case of an industry which is generating approximately £1 billion in tax revenue for the Exchequer," said Mr McKeon.
ITIC welcomed the continuing good performance of the industry, estimating that overseas tourism revenue increased by 16 per cent to £1.3 billion last year, and forecasting 10 per cent growth this year.
However, Mr McKeon said there was now an increasing need for the Government and the industry to pay attention to the better management of tourist flows within the country.
Recent ITIC research had indicated that tourism, particularly in the past two years, had been growing much faster in the east than the west.
This week ITIC has commissioned a study to determine the reasons, and this will be completed in April.
ITIC also called for more funding to boost the domestic tourism market, particularly since 60 per cent of domestic holidays are taken in the west.
Mr McKeon also expressed concern about the lack of Government and industry planning for the post 1999 years, when the current levels of EU funding are due to diminish sharply.
"We are now just four years from the end of the current Operational Programme for Tourism What happens then?" he asked.
The number of British holiday makers is forecast to grow by IS per cent this year, with much of the increase expected from the short breaks market.
The number of tourists from other parts of Europe, despite caution about how potential tourists will react to economic uncertainty in some continental economies, is expected to grow by 9 per cent.
The, ITIC's chief executive Mr Brendan Leahy, said that the great unspoken factor in such a rosy picture was the continuation of the peace process in the North, which was "the essential prerequisite to this type of growth."