Sir, - On October 18th 1999 you kindly published a letter I wrote to you about several factors affecting tourism into Ireland, especially the high cost of living. I would like to inform you about the response my article provoked.
I received personally many letters from Irish people all over Ireland and even outside, most of them unknown to me. They all warmly agreed with my opinion - except for two negative respondents who attacked my comments, not because they disagreed, but because I was a foreigner.
Also, the chief executives of Bord Failte and Aer Lingus replied to my letter in a very positive manner, saying that they were keenly aware of the problems I raised and were working on them.
Curiously, the Irish Minister for Consumer Affairs, Mr Tom Kitt TD, never wrote a reply in spite of two reminders I sent to him in December and February. He just remained silent, although the matter is very much in his domain. Being a civil servant, I know the wheels of bureaucracy are slow, but in this case they don't seem to be moving at all. Disappointing, but we were gratified by all the response we received.
Thank you again for your attention. - Yours, etc.,
Paul Lagendijk,
Netherlands Ambassador to Saudi Arabia,
Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia.