This year's tourist season in the north-west has been quite good, but the experience of the different sectors has varied widely, according to a spokeswoman for North West Tourism.
"Most of the hotels have been operating to full capacity, which is as good as, or better than, last year," she said. "In the self-catering end the year was slow to start but is accelerating, and is now on a par with last year."
She said there was a lot of extra capacity in the self-catering area this year, arising from the tax incentives. While this had not yet led to overcapacity, that could come soon.
This is obvious. Every coastal town and village now has mini-estates of holiday cottages, little networks of small interconnecting streets and cul-de-sacs complete with street lights and identical houses. Many appear empty.
The bed-and-breakfast sector has seen a fall in passing trade, the spokeswoman said. Prebooked holidays in this kind of accommodation were similar to last year's, but tended to be in towns and resorts where there were activities for families. Those in rural areas, which are more dependent on passing trade, were not doing so well.
The extra money in the economy was allowing more Irish people to holiday abroad, she explained. This meant that the numbers taking a two-week holiday in Ireland were reduced. People were then inclined to take a second short break at home.
However, the drop in the domestic market was compensated for by an increase in people from northern Europe and Japan. "There has been an increase in the numbers passing through our offices," she said. "The number of Germans has fallen, but the numbers from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands is up. A lot of this would be activity-based - golfing, biking, hiking, riding."
Last week's Sligo Champion announced a fall in rural tourism, but the spokeswoman said that attitudes to the season depended on who one talked to. "The amount of money in their pockets dictates where people stay," she said. "People who used to stay in a B and B may opt for a hotel."
The north-west had tended to see itself as the poor relation of the tourism industry, ignored by tour operators. However, the spokeswoman said the perception of the area was changing. "We have a lot of catching up to do, but a lot of work has been done. The Shannon in particular will become much more popular in the next few years."