Clutching a wad of accommodation vouchers, Bostonian, Ms Cindy Dobe will fly into Shannon this summer for her first visit to the four green fields. Ms Dobe will, like most of her touring fellow Americans, hire a car and see the sights, sip dark Guinness in dark pubs, sleep in guest houses and hotels, probably purchase some Irish knitwear, glassware and souvenirs for the good folks back home.

She might well become yet another room occupant statistic at one of the Ryan hotels throughout the country, making her small contribution to the group's current year earnings and profits.

She, and thousands like her, provide the spending power driving the current boom in tourism of which the Ryan Hotels group is a major beneficiary. Annual results from Ryan Hotels this week reflect the continuing strength of the tourism sector, with group profits surging 24 per cent to £5 million, an all-time high. The profit growth and 9 per cent improvement in margins is particularly creditable, coming on the back of turnover only 4 per cent higher at £28.4 million.

Chief executive, Mr Patrick Coyle attributes the strong performance to buoyancy in the economy, growth in tourist numbers and tight cost controls and operating efficiencies.

With earnings per share surging 29.2 per cent to 6.69p, shareholders are rightly afforded honoured guest treatment, total dividends rising a respectable 20 per cent to 2.25p a share.