The greatest impact on the cruising industry on the Shannon has been caused by the slump in the German economy and the roar of the Celtic Tiger.
The latest figures available indicate that cruise holidays on the Shannon are the only sector of tourism which has shown zero growth this year.
It is easy enough to understand the impact of the slump in Germany on the hire cruiser business because, for several years, so many of the boats were hired by Germans. In the past two years, the leaner times in Germany have meant a decline in the numbers of visitors coming here to cruise.
But the second part of the equation is even more interesting. The rising tide has indeed lifted the Celtic boat and has meant that a larger proportion of Irish people have been able to buy their own craft. This means that while there is an actual increase in the number of boats using the Shannon, many of them are not being rented from the hire companies.
However, it is not all bleak news for the companies. There has been a strong growth in the number of people coming from Britain, according to Norman Black, the senior tourism officer for the Midland East Tourism Organisation.
"While the official figures are not yet available from the Central Statistics Office, in the region we expect a 2 per cent increase in visitor numbers this year," he said.
"It was quite slow early in the year, but it took off again in July and August, and we are pretty happy with the outcome.
"There is a growing number of Italian visitors coming here. This is a new trend, and we are also seeing good growth in the numbers coming from the UK."
He said the development of tourism in the area was reflected in the increase in private investment and EU-funded schemes in the region. "We are dispelling the myths here that a visitor or an Irish person must go to the west or Kerry or Donegal to have a good holiday," he said. "We have the facilities now on the ground. The specialist areas like golfing, fishing and heritage tourism mean that this region can compete with any of the others.
"There is a tendency here, I think, not to be proud enough of what the midlands can offer and we are working to reverse that.
"We have a growing number of facilities here, and there are new hotels coming on line all the time. We have proximity to the capital, and there is a growing interest in the region by visitors."
The Midland East region covers Longford, Westmeath, Laois, north Offaly, Kildare, Meath, Wicklow and Louth.