January is the month in which the tourist industry assesses the last year's results and the coming year's prospects, challenges and strategy. Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland and the regional tourist organisations hold seminars round the country, writes Martin Mansergh
Tourism is a vital component of most economies, though often ignored in macro-economic discussion. Throngs of visitors are part of the daily life of capital cities. Here, tourism provides a lifeline to beautiful but more remote parts of the country. Even towns without obvious sights depend on often unrecognised visitors.
In Ireland today, annual visitor numbers easily exceed the entire population. Last year, they grew by around 5 per cent. Concern is more with the uneven distribution of growth. Tourism was once focused on the west. Today, much of it is concentrated on Dublin and needs to be better spread.
There used to be perennial complaints about inadequate promotional funding. As in arts and sports, John O'Donoghue has been exemplary in providing the resources needed for expanded activity.
Increased provision of hotel accommodation has narrowed the competitive gap with bed-and-breakfasts. Hotels have more facilities, but for a more intimate atmosphere and time for conversation about the locality with a family, who probably have a variety of occupations, there is much to be said for a B&B.
The longer touring holiday still has its place, but much of the growth has been in short breaks. A wonder of the modern world has been the huge increase in destinations directly reachable within a few hours by affordable flights. Ireland is well served by regional airports right round the coast.
Improved roads and rail should make all parts of the island more accessible. The provision of good motorway service stations is becoming urgent for everyone, hauliers and motorists.
Full restoration of the western rail corridor will make travelling around Ireland by rail more attractive and feasible, for less than the cost of a Luas extension.
One feature of this year's promotion is a psychological appeal to make a piece of Ireland your own. This has nothing to do with property acquisition. Most of us have favoured places here and abroad, to which we regularly return, and which we have (subjectively) made our own.
Tourism is the most substantial economic sector to be run on an all-island basis. Geography cannot be easily denied. The resolution of problems associated with some Orange marches at the height of the season would greatly assist the North's industry to catch up, as Northern Ireland has its fair share of natural beauty and cultural heritage.
It would be good, if pride in history and celebration of tradition could be turned everywhere into an asset rather than a liability.
The national trust announced by the Taoiseach will in time provide more places to visit. Heritage gardens are particularly popular. Festivals and major one-off events like the Ryder Cup and the Special Olympics and in future large international conferences can bring many visitors to our shores.
Extended family reunions are a great idea for the shoulder season. There is a big market for equestrian activities and events, given Ireland is a prime horse-breeding country.
Walking up one side of a country road for a couple of hundred metres, one can fill a waste sack with discarded plastic, bottles, cans and other detritus. Perhaps green flag programmes in the schools and other initiatives to develop an environmental conscience will over time clean up the landscape.
At least, the plastic bags have largely disappeared, thanks to a nominal but effective tax. The smoke-filled rooms one often reverts to outside this jurisdiction take a little readjusting to. They are no longer a serviceable symbol for backroom political activity.
The Rural Environmental Protection Scheme has led to tidier farms. Our geographical situation gives us huge environmental advantages. Environmental zeal must remain compatible with economically sustainable farming. There is not much that is attractive about deserted and untended scrub land.
Many tourist offices, heritage centres, nature trails, and graveyards where the names of ancestors are sought, are maintained through community employment schemes.
The coming into effect of capping, which is a three-year limit on participation for over-35s and a six-year one for over-55s, is now seeing many people being let go, whose circumstances give them few alternatives. Like threatened rural post offices, this is social and human capital that can ill afford to be squandered.
There are no budgetary implications to being able to continue to fill positions which are of equal benefit to older or socially disadvantaged people and to their communities. Pragmatism and compassion, as well as concern for community life, suggest that the Government look at this again with the social partners.
What should attract people here is the quality of life in a country, whose amenities have multiplied and which have long since ceased to be the privilege of a few. Its transformation in a few decades, while not without its critics, has taken away much of the drabness and nearly all the extreme poverty. Anyone coming from elsewhere can expect overall today to meet equal standards here.
Visitors and tourism-providers include migrants from eastern Europe, southeast Asia and Africa. Their friends and relatives, provided they are not unnecessarily impeded by immigration controls, will quicken the pace of visitor exchanges between Ireland and other parts of the world.
Ireland's image needs to accommodate a multicultural dimension alongside the country's longer-standing distinctive characteristics.
Ireland is no longer an island behind an island, but a prime destination in its own right. Each of us, however much we enjoy foreign travel and hotter climates, owe ourselves at least one holiday a year where we can rediscover some part of Ireland.