A Shannon Development survey has shown that tourist numbers in the mid-west this year will fall below the 1996 figure. The Minister for Tourism, Mr McDaid, said yesterday he is concerned that the benefits of tourism growth are not being spread equally throughout the country.
A Bord Failte spokesman said it was sticking to its forecast of a growth nationally of 7 per cent in visitors in 1997, though it agreed that there were a number of "black spots" and "not every region or sector will share in the growth". A spokeswoman for the mid-west branch of the Irish Hotels Federation said it was calling on the Government to address the "alarming imbalance" which the survey shows in the performance between the region and other parts of the country, Dublin especially.
Figures show that more American visitors are arriving in Dublin than at their traditional gateway of Shannon.
The survey, which was carried out at the end of July, shows that numbers to most day-visitor attractions were about 2 per cent down on 1996. The domestic market was reported to be strong but most felt European business generally was down, as was North American coach tour business.
Hotels, B&Bs, self-catering accommodation, caravan and camping parks reported business was significantly down on last year. Only luxury hotels in the region said business was up.
Shannon cruise operators are reporting a difficult season, mainly because of the weakness of the German market.
Terminal traffic through Shannon Airport is up just 1 per cent to the end of July, thanks to UK business. North American business is down 0.4 per cent and European traffic has fallen by 13 per cent. In both cases, the beneficiary of Shannon's loss is Dublin Airport.
Tourism interests in the mid-west have received a letter from the Department of Public Enterprise, inviting them to comment on the EU-US multilateral air transport negotiations, which are likely to result in an open-skies policy. This would mean the ending of the present requirement for airlines to operate one flight in and out of Shannon for every direct flight they are allowed into Dublin.