Madam, - Fáilte Ireland's current "Right Here, Right Now" radio advertising campaign asks us what taking a break in places such as Cavan or Carlow brings to mind. It is a welcome change to finally see an emphasis on promoting what are usually overlooked destinations to the crucial domestic market.
Unfortunately, having listened to the ads, most prospective tourists will know little about the real tourism profile of such places. I don't doubt that the massages in Mountnugent are marvellous or that the bunkers of Borris are breathtakingly difficult, but to the outsider they are hardly synonymous with either place.
By relying on the availability of the type of ("exclusive") facilities that can now be found in every corner of the country, the campaign does a real disservice to these counties' true attractions. The unimaginative suggestion of "hiking" as an activity and passing mention of lakes and rivers hardly constitute unique selling points in themselves.
Is someone not more likely to be enticed to take a leisurely wander off the beaten track by some indication of the local distinctiveness and colour awaiting them - an interesting site, some evocative folklore, a quirky activity, a tasty speciality or a trail with a story behind it- than by the merely generic?
A quick look at the official discoverireland.ie websites unveils ample attractions - all of which might fire the imagination, readily stick in the mind and allow each place to stand out from the crowd.
Apparently a visit to Cavan offers the prospect of the unique landscape of the Cuilcagh Mountains Geopark, a teddy bear workshop and showroom, or taking a barge down the Shannon-Erne waterway. Equally, Carlow claims to have hang gliding on Mount Leinster, an award-winning micro-brewery, the Ice Age glen at Altamont, and a might-have-been mini-Versailles at Bagenalstown.
Surely these gems set amid drumlins and dolmens are much more potent marketing tools than sterile detox clinics and driving ranges? - Yours, etc,
RONAN GINGLES, Carn Glas Mews, Gracedieu, Waterford