Ireland must learn from the experience of the foot-and-mouth crisis, and ensure the tourism industry is never again threatened as it was during the spring, Mr Pat Crotty, chairman of the South East Regional Tourism Authority, has said.
He warned that the Government must learn from the experience that the economic interests of one sector cannot be protected at the expense of another.
Ten years ago the tourism authority was almost broke, confidence was low, members did not know where they were going, and funding was negligible. Today it has 1,500 members, all tourism providers of one type or another. This year so far it has run 36 promotions in 18 cities in 15 countries. The south-east is competing against the well-established tourist trails.
Mr Crotty puts the turnaround down to the partnerships formed over the years between Bord Failte, county councils, local authorities, Leader projects and, vitally, tourism providers.
"People began to realise that while individual counties or products might be saleable to a visitor it is the region that can be marketed as a unit. Originally Bord Failte began by marketing Kerry and Connemara. They were the two destinations with the tourism products to support the influx of visitors," he said. Now the five counties represented by the authority, Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford and Tipperary South Riding, work together to promote the region and support each other. The results are beginning to show.
Five years ago Kilkenny had about 400 beds: now there are more than 2,000 with the number of hotels increasing from three to 15 in four years. Guesthouses and B&Bs have also increased from 17 to 156.
Last week Gowran Park racecourse opened its new golf course. Five holes of the 18-hole course are encircled by the racecourse, with the balance surrounding it. Gowran Park's board decided to subsidise its 13 days of racing each year with a complementary product.
Carlow has often seemed the Cinderella of the tourism industry, but there has been a turnaround in recent years. This month the new chief executive for tourism, Ms Eileen O'Rourke, takes up her appointment, and the 800th anniversary of Carlow in 2005 will be on her agenda.
Mr Pat Nolan, tourism officer for Carlow, said: "The appointment is one of the important milestones in Carlow tourism. It indicates a realisation that marketing is an important function without which there will be no growth."
He referred to the importance of Eigse which he said was attracting more visitors to the county in June. Carlow town has three new modern hotels and is rapidly gaining a name as the sporting county of Ireland, with hang-gliding, parachuting, hill-climbing and walking.
Leighlinbridge's entry in the Entente Florale competition this year will bring the Carlow village into European focus. The judges will visit Leighlinbridge on July 24th during a town festival.
West Wexford does not benefit from the summer influx to holiday homes as do east and north Wexford. However, there is still a lot happening.
New Ross will host the inaugural Jean Kennedy Smith lecture series on July 21st with such speakers as Tim Pat Coogan, John Bowman and Senator Maurice Manning. The town is benefiting from the urban renewal programme and a new hotel is expected to receive planning permission shortly.
The Barrow continues to attract river traffic, though nothing on the scale of the Shannon-Erne waterway. A visit by the Connoisseur Group recently, the largest operator of pleasure craft on the Shannon, brought hope to the region. The Barrow is tidal to St Mullins and may require some work before it can compete with the Shannon.
"All the counties are at different stages of development, and some are coming from behind. We know the value of a pound and have a fair focus on what money has to be spent to put the south-east top of the league for visitors," said Mr Crotty.