Tourism industry representatives throughout the State have welcomed yesterday's announcement of extra funds for marketing Ireland as a holiday destination.
The Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Mr O'Donoghue, said in Killarney that an extra €3 million was to be allocated for overseas tourism marketing. Tourism Ireland also announced that an additional €1.5 million from its existing budget was to be devoted to marketing.
Mr O'Donoghue said he was conscious that the industry was facing a major challenge.
"Some sectors and some areas are taking a hit but I want to send out the message that the tourism industry is alive and fighting. It's important for the industry not to be trapped in a negative philosophy at this time," he said.
The funding, which will see a new marketing campaign begin in Britain this weekend, has been warmly welcomed by industry representatives.
The chief executive of Tourism Ireland, Mr Paul O'Toole, said the money would be used to get maximum return for the industry on the island of Ireland.
"It now means we can go into the British market, which has shown the greatest immediate potential for growth, much more aggressively," he said.
The Irish Tourist Industry Confederation welcomed the move. Its chief executive, Mr Brendan Leahy, said it recognised that the industry was facing a major crisis and that there was "a lot of business left to play for".
The Irish Hotels Federation said the funds would take best advantage of the emerging late booking patterns of holidaymakers.
"It is being provided at a very important time when potential overseas visitors are still planning holidays and short breaks and could act as a trigger for people to choose Ireland as their destination," said Mr Jim Murphy, the federation's president.
Mr O'Donoghue insisted yesterday that advertising was only one part of the equation, and he called on tourism providers to offer value-for-money packages and higher standards as a complement to the campaign.
He said the vast majority of the extra money would be spent on marketing in Britain due to the fact that capacity from the United States was down around 20 per cent.
"Flights are full and ticket prices are higher. If, in the autumn, there is greater capacity and more competitiveness we will look again at what would be appropriate at that time," he said.
Mr John Brennan, general manager of the Park Hotel in Kenmare, said the funds were "a great gesture". The hotel restaurant yesterday became the first in Ireland to receive the 4 Rosette Dining Award from the Royal Automobile Association.
Mr Brennan warned against ignoring the American market which, he said, could still yield a lot of business this year.
"It would be wrong to turn our backs on our main market as the lead-in time for reservations over the last number of years has been as short as two weeks. No other market returns revenue per head like the Americans," he said.