Waterford's tourism industry has experienced a slow start to the season, but confidence remains high that last year's record figures will be broken.
Research to be published today shows that while the hotel and self-catering sectors are booming, last month was a difficult one for those in the guesthouse and B&B business who cited increased competition and foreign travel as the reasons occupancy rates weren't higher.
The domestic market in particular is not performing well, with only 23 per cent of most accommodation providers reporting an increase in business compared to last year.
The figures for June are the first in a series of monthly studies being conducted for Waterford Tourism by NGM Market Research. Ms Monica Leech, the chief executive of Waterford Tourism, said while the figures for the domestic market were a cause for concern, there was "widespread optimism" that the remainder of the season would see an improvement.
There had been an upbeat forecast from operators in all areas of the industry in Waterford about the rest of the season, with 52 per cent of those questioned predicting this year would be better than 1999 and a further 24 per cent believing it would be at least as good. "After what's generally acknowledged as a slow start to the season, this is a very positive assessment and one that I hope is borne out," she said.