The country is experiencing a boom in tourism. In spite of the unseasonable weather, the hotels sector enjoyed record occupancy rates for April and May, and there are unprecedented bookings for June and July. August has always been a frenetic month and September is building nicely. It would seem that Bord Failte's years of hard work, in seeking to extend the tourist season, is paying off.
It is obvious that cloudless skies are not an indispensable ingredient of Irish tourism, but it is a real comfort when the sun shines. Visitors are attracted by other qualities: the craic and the ceol of the pubs; open spaces and free roving hill walks; easy conviviality and rapidly improving food standards; broad, unpolluted waters and a less frenetic approach to life. Enjoyment of the Irish "milieu" is enhanced when accommodation, cooking and general services are of a high standard. And hotels and restaurants have been getting the formula right.
As we drift in the cusp of spring and summer at the end of this bank holiday weekend, the tourism industry can look forward to strong growth and job creation. One of the coldest May months on record is ending and vegetation growth patterns are running about two weeks behind schedule. But Ireland was not alone in experiencing unseasonably cold weather; the pattern of cold spring weather and late growth has been repeated as far south as the Mediterranean. It has had no perceptible impact on holiday plans. There is still plenty of time to anticipate the kind of sun kissed summer that made last year so memorable.
It would be icing on the cake. Already this year, the number of visitors from Britain - our largest market - is running about 15 per cent ahead of last year and large numbers of foreign registered cars are filtering up and down the west coast. Numbers from the United States and Europe are also up about 10 per cent. This, in spite of last February's Canary Wharf bombing in London and the ending of the IRA's ceasefire.
Bord Failte is justifiably reluctant to trumpet such positive growth figures because of the uncertainty of the Northern situation. Should the IRA return to full scale violence, there could be a collapse in our key markets. There is also some immediate concern because of the industrial unrest within Aer Lingus. As of now, however, more than 90 new hotels are due to be completed by the end of 1998, with 40 of these in Dublin and the remainder spread throughout the State. The proposed developments represent, a huge vote of confidence in the future of the tourist industry and promise thousands of construction and service jobs.
This growth pattern is also reflected in the much larger guest house/bed and breakfast sector, which provides nearly one third of all accommodation. Friendliness, good cooking and the "homely" touch is a winning formula. But when it is linked with a vibrant community spirit, which is celebrated through litter free streets, public flower displays and clean toilets, it is unbeatable. Tourism, is a growth, industry to which, the entire community can contribute. In return, it can generate jobs, wealth and an outward looking society.