Department of Foreign Affairs diplomats have been asked to push Ireland strongly as a tourist destination during this year's worldwide St Patrick's Day celebrations as fears grow about the tourism industry's future.
In a letter to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Mr O'Donoghue said the effort to attract tourists must be "re-energised".
The intervention by Mr O'Donoghue comes amid fears that the industry's hopes of a recovery this year could be dashed by a Middle East conflict and complaints about prices here.
In his letter, tourism sources have told The Irish Times, Mr O'Donoghue told his Cabinet colleague that the prospects for the year ahead for the industry are "uncertain, at best".
Diplomats could play an even greater role in influencing people in their base countries to travel to Ireland, said Mr O'Donoghue, who paid tribute to the work already done by Foreign Affairs staff in the area. The all-Ireland body, Tourism Ireland, has been asked to produce information briefs "tailored for each embassy, and Minister visiting destinations around St Patrick's Day".
So far, the list of ministerial visits has not yet been announced, though it appears likely that the Minister for Foreign Affairs will send increased numbers of his colleagues to the US.
In his letter, Minister O'Donoghue told Mr Cowen that he was "very anxious" that ministerial visits should be "exploited and their potential maximised" to increase the numbers of visitors.
Last November, the Minister for Tourism ordered a major review of the Irish industry following "ten successful years of uninterrupted growth up to 2000", chaired by Mr John Travers.
The Minister managed to deliver a 20 per cent increase in the Government's contribution to Tourism Ireland's marketing budget. But he has repeatedly warned that the money will have to be spent "where it can deliver the greatest dividends" - especially with Americans becoming more and more nervous about travelling abroad.
According to the Central Statistic Office, six million tourists visited during 2001, a drop of 5 per cent on the 2000 figure.
Despite the fall in tourist spending, revenue increased by 8 per cent.
