Bord Failte's marketing plan for 2001, unveiled this week, continues the sensible policy of involving the tourist industry as equal partners. State promotional bodies of any kind run the risk of operating in a business vacuum, with resources being directed where bureaucrats decide they will be most effective. That seldom works. The most effective guiding hand is the industry whose livelihood depends on tourism.
Not that the industry is calling all the shots by any means. Government policy requires that the benefits of tourism should be spread across the country. The easy option would to concentrate on Dublin, Cork and Limerick which have the best developed transport access. We could promote these cities relatively cheaply and let the rest of the country have the leftovers. The Minister for Tourism, Dr McDaid, has set his face against this. A Donegalman, he urges the charms of his native county - and other counties not as favoured with large airports and ferry ports. In the national interest, he is correct.
The age-old problem of Irish tourism, the seasonality of the business, has been largely overcome. Tourists now arrive all year round, improving the economics of running hotels and other facilities. The latest estimates for 2000, based on preliminary figures for January-August, show growth of 5.5 per cent - the ninth successive year of growth. This is a quite astonishing achievement. We now have nearly twice the number of annual visitors than we have native population.
This is not an unalloyed blessing and Bord Failte is ready to acknowledge this. It is difficult to enjoy the Ring of Kerry when stuck in a queue of touring coaches. The sheer number of visitors also puts pressure on the quality of the Irish welcome, which is the tourist industry's most valuable asset. Bord Failte is not arguing for fewer visitors, but would not lament a fall off in volume if it was matched by an increase in economic yield.
There is a case for calling a halt to growth. The Bord Failte Visitor Attitudes Survey 1999 found the friendliness of the Irish towards our visitors was tending to diminish and that there is less opportunity for contact with the Irish. This shift may have something to do - not with the number of visitors we must find a welcome for - but to changes in Irish lifestyles and attitudes, due to our economic growth. Whatever the reason, the alarm bells must ring loudly if Ireland of the Welcomes should ever fall short of that proud boast.
Another problem area now emerging is Britain. Growth in that market has been sluggish despite the considerable purchasing power of sterling and the highly competitive transport environment. In a fashionability/image study, Ireland rated two stars out of five, described by Bord Failte as only fair. Perhaps our traditional British visitors do not care for the side of Irish tourism represented by stag parties in Temple Bar.