Selling Northern Ireland at the height of its so-called summer season has never been an easy job.

The month of July not only heralds the anticipated better weather but it also marks the beginning of what is affectionately referred to as the "marching season" in the North.

While hotels and restaurants in the Republic swell under the influx of tourists in July, parts of Northern Ireland are effectively no-go areas for visitors, with the exception of international journalists and media crews.

It should be one of the busiest times of the year for pubs, guesthouses and visitor attractions. But the reality is that they are more likely to lose money by staying open as the majority of people in the North decamp to foreign shores.

It is a scenario which increasingly depresses Mr Roy Bailie, chairman of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board since 1996.

One of the North's key businessmen, his chairmanship has been characterised by extreme highs, such as the record tourist figures in the wake of the ceasefires, to the lows of the first standoff at Drumcree, between the Orange Order and the residents of Garvaghy Road outside Portadown.

Mr Bailie, who is also chairman of W&G Baird, the Northern Ireland printing group, has devoted much time and energy to the Tourist Board.

Although the position is salaried, it is one of just a number of non-executive roles, which Mr Bailie pursues outside his "day" job with W&G Baird.

He is the first person from the North to sit on the court of directors at the Bank of England, is also a director of Bank of Ireland and a nonexecutive director of Ulster Television. A graduate of Harvard Business School, he has helped build W&G Baird from a small printing company to one of the North's largest groups with a portfolio of six companies and more than 750 employees in Northern Ireland and the UK.

Every July he makes an appeal to both communities in the North to consider the impact their actions may have on tourism and business. In the past Mr Bailie's appeals have fallen on deaf ears, but ever the optimist, he hopes that this year it will be different. "Civil unrest costs jobs, the tourist sector is underperforming in Northern Ireland as it stands, and the last thing we need is further unrest.

"We do need some sort of solution to Drumcree because the events of last year have damaged tourism potential this year and any repeat will tell a similar story next year. It has a knock-on effect year after year.

"The damage inflicted on the industry already this year because of the foot-andmouth crisis has been substantial. There are some people who are already operating on zero income so any further setbacks could cost jobs," Mr Bailie warned.

"`I do wish more people would listen, I get frustrated that people do not respond to the facts of the situation," he added. He believes that Tourism Ireland, the new North/ South body established to promote tourism on the island, should benefit Northern Ireland. "A large percentage, around 60 per cent of visitors, come to Northern Ireland via the Republic, it is hugely important for us to have the opportunity to encourage a larger audience to come and see Northern Ireland for themselves," he said.

The latest statistics show that there has been an increase in the number of international visitors but this has been offset by a fall in visitors from the UK and the Republic.

Tourist revenue remained static last year at approximately £265 million sterling (#443 million).

Mr Bailie said that the combination of unfavourable exchange rates and the "legacy" of negative publicity as a result of events last July had impacted on overall tourist figures. "If Northern Ireland is to fully realise its potential we need to see sustained and long-term growth, rather than relying on some markets to make up for losses in others," he added.

Mr Bailie is acutely aware that it is vital for Northern Ireland to build a new reputation in the global tourism industry. In recent months his own reputation has been the subject of some scrutiny because of the relationship between the Tourist Board and W&G Baird. Earlier this year the board was criticised by the Northern Ireland Audit Office over its purchasing procedures.

The auditors were unhappy that a large percentage of the Tourist Board's printing contracts had been awarded to W&G Baird. Although W&G Baird had an established relationship with the Tourist Board prior to Mr Bailie's appointment, the auditors warned that the agency had not been sufficiently rigorous in its procedures to protect its chairman from a perception of favouritism.

The Tourist Board acknowledged that it had failed "to adhere to best practice in purchasing procedures" and said it had taken action to ensure that all future orders would be placed in line with government guidelines.

The SDLP called for a public inquiry into the matter but it is now believed that after further investigations by the Public Accounts Committee in the North, no inquiry will be forthcoming.

It is understood the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment has vigorously defended Mr Bailie's position and integrity and its right to appoint senior business people in Northern Ireland to public positions.

Ironically, it was an issue raised by Mr Bailie himself when the then Northern Ireland economy minister, Baroness Denton, first approached him about the role.

According to senior public sector sources he was assured that a potential conflict of interests would not be an issue.

At the outset he said he would rather refuse the job than get embroiled in any potential conflict down the line.

Commenting publicly for the first time on the auditor's report, Mr Bailie said he had a strict policy of not getting involved in any of the commercial relationships between W&G Baird and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board.

"It is a well-documented company policy that I am not told about any potential Northern Ireland Tourist Board contracts or negotiations and that has been the case since I took up my role as chairman.

"We have a well-established management team at the W&G Baird Group who are responsible for the day-to-day running of the business," he said.